SUPERINTENDENCY ELECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume IV, Issue 1194, 20 November 1873, Page 2

SUPERINTENDENCY ELECTION.

DECLARATION OF THE POLL -TTTTQ DAY. " Uh

The official declaration of the poll taken at the several..pol!ing places in the province on the Gth inatant was made at noon to-davhv H C. Brlneavls, Esq., principal BeturniJ '■ Officer, on the hustings outside the Me° chanics' Institute, the gross numbers being as follows : — Dargaville, 2440 • Luslc, ISI7 ; "Williamson, 2029. After g careful scrutiny he had deducted from Mr Dargaville, G9 ; from Mr Lusk, 27----and from Mr Williamson, 9S. ' This made the members stand thus- —Bar gaville 2371; Lu.sk 1700 ; Williamson 2h.il. Majority for Williamson over Dargaville, 400 ; and over Lusk, 1041. He had therefore to declare John Williamson to be duly elected Superintendent of the Province of Auckland. (Cheers.) Mr Williamson on coming forward was received with loud aud prolonged cheering.' He said he thought he could understand those cheers, and it afforded him much gratification to see them giving vent to '" their exultation at the victory that had been achieved. He felt that be had been elected by men of all classes—not by any party, but by such electors as fairly represented the body of colonists living in the province of Auckland. He thought he was nob wrong, although he had been° compelled to wait four years, in appealing to the electors for their filial decision regarding his deposition from that office which he had so frequently held. He had accepted a high oflice under the General Government, but found that it would disqualify him from representing the people in the General Assembh, anil from becoming a candidate for ■ the position ti which he had now been elected for theiifthtimejhe therefore resigned his office rather than be deprived of his right of appeal to them. They had given him ample proof of the justifyableness of his confidence iv returning him to office by a larger majority than ever before. It was now seventeen years since he had been declared • by Colonel Balneavis' predecessor Superin- = tendent of this province. He hoped . ■with the assistance of a Council, composed of members chosen by themselves, to.be able to do more than he had ever before done, or his predecessors had found themselves able to do. for the ad- . vanccnient of this province. He -would not detain them, but thought that before he put on the harness he ought to make soina remark on the conduct of that election. He would be sorry to give utterance to anything to raise party-feeling, but he was sure they would unite with hini in thanking the gentleman who had preceded him as Superintendent for his speech at the agricultural dinner the other day. Mr Gillies had said there that at any rate one great public good had resulted from his administration—law and order had been established—law and order—that implied that before' must have been anarchy and confusion, for which they were iudebted to the amiable, benign, and considerate sway of the administration that had retired. (Laughter.) They knew how to appreciate that— at least he did. It was necessary to preserve perfect quiet in a sick chamber, pud they had all heard that the province was dying. It was not quite dead; but the undertaker had been called in to measure its coffin, and it was to be finished within two years. They had, however, sent for the old family physician, and it would be his duty to restore it to health and strength equal to that possessed by other provinces of the colony. Since his election he had received a few kindly admonitions. He , was admonished about gathering around him the party he had formerly had—about being/ X careful how he divided the remaining loaves'* I and iishes. i'et he had looked in va^fojLv ! any comprehensive' advice' >nifs%onMft ,x \ the ,-comkict of ■ the important' affair^ l lofJhis province. To those who had mider-;N { taken to admonish him he would reply' that "; ( -lie intended to do as he had formerly done i —that he would gather round him the men most likely to advance the interests of this province. He no doubt would displease' some who might ask him why he had done |^ this or overlooked that, but he %&£s. too great respect for the moral of the fable about the old man and iM the donkey to endeavour to please all. "He:^" would not - attempt to do so, but would try to do his duty in such a way as would secure for him their confidence when he had to resign his trust. He A thanked them sincerely for the honour m :they had done him, and he trusted that those provincial institutions which had .j been so much decried would outlive mo3t of them1. He thought his eleotion showed that the body of the electors felt that they were not prepared to do without wovincial ~.•> institutions. He had been cflled the nominte of a party, but "fife, was proud to say that amongst those ■who had taken an interest in his election \v,as the founder of provincial institutions, , "too was.'still anxious to promote the pro-:,.: ofj the province. After a brief vincU- i catiisn of'the old identity Mr Williamson •' -* . asajm thanked the electors and concluded -£f aW|l loud applause. ] ,|r .. Mi* Daruaville, who was received with dieting,, said that the speech he was going { J tovu&ke would not be so intcrc.^iug as vthti * .

he had to say on nomination day, for circumstances altered cases. It was said of British roops that they never knew when they were beaten, and it was so with him. Under the ircumstances and in view of the forces

Drought against him by his opponents he hardly felt beaten. But although beaten he need not feel ashamed, and he did not. He was proud of his position on the poll, and thanked the 2300 electors who had placed him there. Such a defeat as this, he believed,_ would be the precursor of many futurefvictories. He should continue to take part in politics, and at a future day would ask those who had supported him now to rally round him again, and assist him to carry out his policy. As Mr Williamson had been elected, he should have his (Mr D.) support so far as he could give it him It could not be said that Mr Williamsod had the majority of the whole of the votes, but still there was a large body of electors, 2900, who had supported him on account of his past services. Now he (Mr D.) wasnew to politics, and had nopastto referto. They had to take him on credit. As they had elected Mr Williamson, all would do well to support him, for he must have difficulties to encounter, and for the welfai-e of the province he must not be factiously opposed. (Cheers) It was said of his (Mr D's) countrymen that they sometimes spoke first andtbought afterwards. He would notsay that he had done so, or admit such a thing, but if in tTie heat of the moment he had mrdeuse of any unkind or unjust remarks in reference to his opponents, he begged now to " bury the hatchet," and to withdraw them all. (Cheers.) He was prepared to act cordially with them both in public and private life, and would support any men who acted for the good of the country, and were not led by clicjuism or personal agrandisement. To those who had supported him he would say keep together and run with him again on a future clay. He cordially thanked all who had supported him. Mr Lusk, who, on coming forward, was received with mingled cheers and signs of disapprobation, said he should not detain them by making what could properly be called a speech. It was said that brevity was the soul of wit, and on this occasion, if never before, he should, therefore, be witty. He was at the bottom of the poll, and in view of the circumstances and the principles he had stood forth to defend, he was not ashamed of that position. If the time came over again he should do the same as he had done. He had stood on principle, and he regretted, nob for his own sake, but for that of the province, thab a majority of the electors differed from him. Time would show if the Act, pronounced to day to have been thoroughly and proparly done, had been done well and wisely. If it v, are so he would be glad. He heartily thanked those I,SOO electors who had voted for him, and felt grateful to them, and so ought the whole province. The majority of those present were not his supporters who had been the settlers in the country, and residents on the goldfields, and to them and to those livin» in the city and suburbs who. had sup°ported him, he returned his thanks. He hoped the principles he had advocated would be taken up and yet be triumphant. He would say nothing' about his opponents except that he would refer to one remark of Mr Williamson's, who had called him the "undertaker" of the province. It would be regretted if four years hence the undertaker, not of the province, but of Provincial institution, had to be called in. He would not enlarge upon the subject by giving good advice to them now, but he would say this, that at any rate he ~ had no hatchets to bury and no false or malicious aspersions to withdraw. Throughout the contest he had not said or done anything unworthy of any man aspiring to the office of Superintendent. He again returned his thanks to those who had supported him. It was expected that Mr Gillies, the oatgoing Superintendent, would have been present to have delivered up the key 3of office to Mr Williamson, as Mr Williamson did to him four years ago, but Air Gillies did not make his appearance. Mr Williamson (now Superintendent) moved a vote of thanks to the Returning Officer, which was seconded by Mr Dargaville, put and past. The Returning, Officer, in returning thanks, observed that the election had been carried out in a very orderly manner throughout, and that he had received every assistance from his deputies, the candidates, and the electors. It was true he was obliged to order one or two persons out of the Mechanics' Institute. If he had done it roughly he was very sorry for it. It was done in the discharge of his duty in keeping order. The Act Avas a difficult one to carry out, and the scrutiny of the ballot papers was a very troublesome duty. In this work he had been ably assisted by Messrs Robinson, Shepherd, and Collins (sen. and jun.), and their names were all deserving of mention on this occasion. He thanked them all for their assistance, and for the vote of thanks they had passed to him.

The Superintendent here called for three cheers for the Returning Officer, which were heartily responded to. The crowd (which was estimated at about 1030) here dispersed, and a carriage and four greys was driven up to the hustings, in which Mr Williamson rode away among the hearty cheers of his supporters and friends. The proceedings throughout were conducted in a most quiet and orderly mamier, and lasted a much less time than they did four years ago. So ends the Auckland Superintendency election, 1873.