The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1883. The Borough Elections.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1048, 14 September 1883, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1883. The Borough Elections.

The result of yesterday’s' election of members to fill the vacancies in the Ashburton Borough Council was certainly somewhat of a surprise. Nobody will grudge Mr Sealy the honor which the burgesses did him in placing him at the, top of the poll, a position that his long residence and his wellknown integrity fully entitle him to. That Mr St Hill managed to secure only five votes less than the highest number is evidence that he has not lost the confidence of a certain portion of the community, and he probably owes his success to the active canvass of his friends, who were undoubtedly indefatigable on his behalf. He is an energetic worker, and leaves no stone unturned when he is ambitious to attain any place, and thoroughly believes in the dictum that if a thing is worth having, it is worth fighting for. As we said when writing on this subject a few days back, the only objection to Mr St Hill as a councillor is that he is gifted with a rather over-peppery temper, but it is evident that what infirmities he may possess in this way are, in the eyes of those who voted for him, counter-balanced by his undeniable energy. He has done good service in the’ past, for which the ratepayers of the Borough have reason to be thankful, and now that he has been returned again, we can only hope that he will cultivate the suaviter in modo more than he has been accustomed to do, so that the time of the Council will not in future be wasted by useless personal bickerings. Of course it takes two to make a quarrel, and another member of the Council might do worse than take to heart the hint we have thrown out. As to Mr Leggett, we confess we know little either for or against him. His speech at the Town Hall the other evening created a good impression, and so far as can be judged from that, he is likely to make a fair average member of the Council. Still, his being chosen was, in sporting phraseology, a “ boil-over,” especially when Mr Hugo Fried lander was among the rejected candidates. The latter gentleman had previously given satisfaction as Mayor, and in consequence the general opinion was that he would be found at the top of the poll. We must honestly say that his defeat is both a surprise and a disappointment, as his position in the town and his previous experience stamped him as the best candidate that came forward on this occasion, and his presence in the Council would have been a decided gain. Mr Thomas was, so far as municipal matters go, an untried man, and the fact that he scored ninety-seven votes should be an inducement for him to come forward again when occasion offers. In his speech at the declaration of the poll last evening he said that he had not canvassed for a single vote, and he also deprecated the influence used by Friendly Socities in determining the result of these elections. We perfectly agree with Mr Thomas in this opinion, as we think that Councillors should be chosen solely on their merits, withoui regard to their belonging to this or that Society, However, if the choice of the burgesses is not altogether to be approved of, there is no reason to believe that the new representatives in the Council will not be fully equal to. the not very heavy demand made on their intellects in administering the affairs in their charge.

The Native Land Court sat yesterday at Kaiapoi, and disposed of a number of applications, for the most part granting them. There was a large concourse of natives, but the proceedings were most orderly.

At the Land Board two licenses to prospect for tin in the Alford Forest, and one license to prospect for gold in the Hororata district were-grantod yesterday. The following amended regulations respecting the quarantine of imported cattle appears in last night’s Gazette : —‘‘ Cattle arriving at any place beyond the seas and placed in quarantine shall remain therein for such time not exceeding ninety days, as the Board shall in each case speiially direct or require. Provided always that cattle arriving from any place beyond the seas, save and except from the Australian colonies, shall immediately upon arrival be placed in quarantine, and remain therein for not less than thirty days.” The house at Winslow occupied by Mrs Pye had a very narrow escape from being totally destroyed by fire on Wednesday night. At about midnight some of the neighbors were astonished at seeing flames issuing from the roof of the house in question, and immediately hurried to give assistance in order to put out the fire. For. nnately their efforts were successful, although the flames were not got under before considerable damage was done. The disaster was caused, we understand, by the bursting of a kerosene lamp in one of the upper rooms. The Mauritius correspondent of the Natal Mercury gives the following account of an incident which occurred during the recent misunderstanding between the French and Knglish naval officers at Tamatave, which might have led to serious consequences : —“ The captain of the Taymouth Castle states that when he reached Tamatave, the French Admiral came on board and informed him that he had taken Tamatave. He (the Admiral) would not allow the Taymouth Castle’s passengers to land, and would only permit the cargo to be disembarked on condition that the captain consented to pay duty to the French Government. He then put a sentry on board the Taymouth. The captain declined to land cargo on the terms offered, and conveyed it to Mauritius. The commander of U.M.S. Dryad wished to send important secret despatches Home by the Taymouth, but the French Admiral would not allow direct communication, and if despatches were sent through French chann Is they were opened. In order to get over the difficulty, the commander of the Dryad instructed the captain of the Taymouth, when he got under weigh, to steam under the stern of the man-of-war, and while doing so despatches would be passed aboard. This plan was adopted, and as the time approached the Dryad’s decks were cleared, steam got up, and all made ready for action, it being the fall inten tion of the Dryad’s commander to open fire on the French if they attempted to interfere with his plan. No attempt, however, was made by the French and the despatches were successfully passed on board.”