Upon the returns made as required by the writ, the court shall hear the parties, and if further hearing is deemed necessary to determine the case, the court may make such order as deemed advisable fixing such further procedure as may be conducive to expeditious and just determination of the proceeding, including a requirement for a conference of all parties appearing and their attorneys designed to narrow the issues inasmuch as reasonably possible through eliminating questions as to ballots, when such questions are not seriously urged, and the offsetting against each other of ballots which are marked for opposing candidates involved, or on opposite sides of the question, and which present identical issues as to validity, and through segregation of ballots remaining disputed into classes or groups where different classes or groups of ballots present identical questions.

Source: SDC 1939, § 16.1824.