EARLY DAYS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 127, 23 February 1920, Page 8

EARLY DAYS

OUR FIRST MUNICIPAL ELECTION

FURTHER DETAILS

(To tho Editor.)

Sir,-'}?/ Attention having been drawn to an article published in The Dominion' on February 17 on "Our First Municipal' Council," and several questions being asked of me in reference to same, I would, with your permission, like to correct statements made therein which aru very .misleading. Whilst admitting the article is of considerable interest, a little more detail as to numbers of electors would add to the general interest. The statement open to correction is that "owing to the inaction of tho Government at Home, Wellington had declared itself a borough," etc. This is quite a mistake. Such a thing was not possible. The proclamation declaring the town of Wellington a 'borough, defining the limits thereof, etc., was published in Wellington, August 4, 1.845!. The proclamation was made possible by an ordinance enacted by the Governor of New Zealand and Legislative Council, etc., session 2, No. <5, entitled "an ordinance to provide for tho establishment and regulation of municipal corporations." The ordinance sets out among other detail that every settlement within tho colony, having a population of two thousand souls, shall be a borough. As Wellington then had the necessary population His Excellcncyl tho necessary population His Excellency the tion from the seat of Government, July

11. 1842. Tho boundaries of the Borough of Wel-

lington were by the same proclamation to comprise "all lands within the lino set forth in tho surveyor's plan, as the outside boundaries of the public reserve, in the plan of tho town of Port Nicholson approved, and so much of the harbour as is comprised within a radius of seven miles from the market place at

]'n, Pipitca", described in the said pian. All'claims to the. right of voting to be mado before the 30th day of August, 1842. Michael Murphy, Esq., to receive such claims and act as returning officer."

A summary of the provisions of the Municipal Corporation Bill relative to the first election of Mayor and aldermen IS: of great interest. Every male inhabitant of a borough, of full age, being duiy. enrolled, shall be qualified to vote at the election of tltf council. Every claim shall be in writing, in the following form:—"To A.8.—1 hereby givo you notico that I claim to have my name put

upon the burgess roil for the Borough of Wellington. Dated —. Nanio —. Placo of abode andbuoiness of claimant. Every porson • claiming the right of voting shall at the time, of preferring such claim pay the returning officer the sum of twenty shillings, which sum wilLbe subsequently ahowed out of any ratM to be thereafter assessed upon such claimant. First election to take place on Monday, the third day of 'October next, to commence at nine of the clock in the niorning, and finally close at four of the clock of"the samo day. Eighteen persons, .-being burgesses, to be then elected. Tho twelvo burgesses out of tho above eighteen whose names shall stand highest, on the iist, to be the aldermen. The alderman having the highest numbor of votes to hold tho office of Mayor. / "livery burgess may vote for any mintber of persons, not exceeding 'the number then to be chosen, by delivering to the returning officer a voting paper, containing the Christian and surnames of I lie persons for whom he votes, with their respective places of abode, and description, such paper being signed witli the name of the burgess i?o voting and sotting forth his place of abode and description." As has ken stated, there wero 5!) nominations for the first council, and many committees set up ond meetings held, which I should like to refer to, but spaco forbids. There were three hundred and forty nine (348) burgesses nh the roll foT tho first' election (tho names and those of tho. fifty-nine candidates I will let you liavo any time you care to publish). The result of the poll was as mentioned in the previous article, only the article did not mention that the twelvo burgesses standing highest in the list were declared to lie/'the "aldermen" of tho borough of Wellington and, a, small thing, viz., that it had been determined by lot that William Guyton's name shall stand on the list before tho name of Abraham Hort, both those burgesses having uir equal

number of votes. The number of votes recorded, -4000 odd, in itself speaks well for the interest, taken, but it must be remembered that our pioneer settlers had been waiting over two years for this Corporation Bill just put into operation, it being one of the matters discussed by a deputation from our settlers, who interviewttl Sir George Gipps, Governor of N.S.W., • in 18tfl, when New Zealand was governed froin there. This, however, is away from the present question, and a ■subject I am writing fully on for later publication- , I hnve to apologise for making further reference- to your article in question, but in the shipping referred to the fact that the Government brig Victoria was in port seems to have been overlooked. She had arrived in Port Nicholson on September 28, 1812, with the sad intelligence of the death of Governor Hobson, which-took place on September 10. One of the vessels mentioned is of particular interest, viz., tho Jlaori, a small schooner of 15 tons, but the first Maori registered in New Zealand for all that. She was only just completed, having been built here for the Natives and principally by Native labour, hence the name. She traded round tho coast for some time, and at least one of our pioneers living remembers her. With apologies to "Emsworth" and thanking you m anticipation,—l am, etc., W. A. EDWARDS, Historical Secretary Early Settlers and Historical Association.