THE ELECTIONS.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 479, 30 December 1875, Page 2

THE ELECTIONS.

THE HUTT POLLING. (By Electric Telegraph.) Wellington, December 29.

AKAROA POLLING. (From a correspondent of tlu; Press ') Akaeoa, December 29. The election of a member for the Akaroa district has resulted as under : Iff M 'Rff A M ** t)! 11l mX*

zoo toy Majority for Mr Montgomery..: 46 The election caused great excitement during the day, and the result was received with loud cheers. The official declaration will take place on January 3rd. Mr Montgomery addressed the electors, thanking his friends for their support, and hoped to earn in the future the confidence of his opponents. MR J. E. BROWN AT OXFORD. Mr Brown met the electors of the Oxford district at the Road Board office on Tuesday night. There were fully 100 people in the hall. Mr Wilson Fisher was elected chairman,

The chairman briefly stated the object of the meeting, and called upon Mr Brown to address the meeting. Mr Brown repeated the speech already reported. In reply to Mr Gamman, he said the site for a post and telegraph office was a question to settle amongst themselves—he should say half way between both. To Mr Cooper— The Width of Tires Act was introduced by Mr Harper, and is to come in force on March Ist. He did not approve of it. To Mr Parish—He was not aware that the residents' of Oxford were called upon to pay for the land intersected by the railway, nor had he any knowledge of any requisition sent to Wellington concerning the matter. Mr Parish asked if Mr Brown could explain why a stationmaster’s house was built at the-. Oarleton station for the benefit of Richardson and Co, whilst East Oxford was not granted the same accommodation, Mr Brown said that Richardson and Co had no more to do with the Carleton station than Mr Parish himself. Mr D. Bladden said he should take the same privilege as Mr Gorton had done at Mr Maskell’s meeting in comparing the twoparties to the conservatives and liberals, and he considered Mr Maskell had only become a supporter of the Government through force circumstances. He appealed to the meeting to consider what Oxford would have been had it not been for the Public Workspolicy, and as Mr Brown had always been a consistent supporter of the Government, heshould give him his vote, and begged to propose—“ That this meeting thanks Mr Brownfor his address, and considers him a fit and; proper person to represent the Ashley district in the General Assembly.” This was seconded by Mr Woodfield.

Mr Parish moved as an amendment—- “ That the meeting whilst thanking Mr Brown for his address do not pledge themselves to support him.” Mr Youngman seconded the amendment.. Amendment put— For 6 Against 24 The motion was put and declared carried] by a large majority. Mr Corcoran moved, and Mr Sladden seconded, a vote of thanks to the chairman, and the meeting separated. NOMINaI'jON AT TIMARU. The nomination of a candidate to represent the district of Timaru in the GeneralAssembly took place in the Court-house at noon on Tuesday. We take the following report of the proceedings from the Timaru Herald-.

The returning officer, Mr B. Woollcombe,. having read the writ, called upon some elector present to propose a candidate. Mr P. B. Luxmoore, chairman of the Timaruand Gladstone Board of Works, said he had very great pleasure in proposing the Hon B W. Stafford as a fit and proper person to represent the district. He had been their representative for several years, aud had gained the entire confidence of the electors. The position Mr Stafford had taken with regard to the Government last session had won him laurels, and reflected credit on himself and the district. | Hear \ At a meeting held some years since Mr Stafford had said he would go up to the Assembly entirely unfettered, but he would see their local interests carried out to the best of his power. LHear, hear."] When they considered the material increase of population and the wealth of the district, they were entrusting a still greater responsibility on Mr Stafford than when he was first elected.

Mr J. |H. Sutter, Mayor of Timaru, in seconding the nomination, said that while one representative went in for the squatting interest and another for something else, Mr

Stafford would go in for the general interest of the country. He had served them well in the past, and no doubt would do the same hereafter. He had great pleasure in seconding the nomination. Three cheers were then given for the candidate, Mr Stafford, on coming forward, said that the way in which the election had taken place, and the fact of its being the third time, was a source of great gratification to him. He would reserve his general remarks for the following evening, as he believed it would be much more convenient for the electors. He felt greatly disappointed at the short notice which had been given by the Returning Officer, as living at the distance that he did, it was most inconvenient, and he had only been able to get down on the previous day. There were very great and important questions to be taken into consideration at the present time. They would remember that on previous occasions he had always guardedly refrained from expressing his opinion on the breakwater. The only time on which he had referred to it he had said that unless there was a good and reliable engineer’s opinion taken upon it, 'he would not go in for it—but if that was done and the result was favorable, the colony ought to see the work carried out. He had forebore saying anything before, because he would not pledge himself to what might turn out a waste of public money. He had no doubt now from Sir John Goode’s report, and the success of the Oamaru breakwater, that there was no other work in New Zealand which could be better entered into and prove more productive. He would therefore use his best interests in the Legislature to get it done. They had a certain sum of money for the purpose already, which he believed was quite secure. He had spoken to the Ministry about it more than once, and had received the assurance that it would not be touched for any other purpose. There were means of supplementing it by the district if it should be required, but it appeared to him that they had a stronger claim to have the extra sum provided for them, than to have to find it out of their own pockets. Last session Mr Yon der Hyde gave notice of a motion to make the railway at Auckland terminate on the wharf. He (Mr Stafford) and others, seeing the importance of the question, went to him and asked him not to press the matter upon the Government then, when they had not had time to consider it; and said that he (Mr Stafford) and others would support it if he made it a general scheme. The colony as a whole, of which they were a part, would have to supplement the means required for a breakwater. He did not say it was absolutely certain that it would be adopted next session, but he believed so ; if not, they could fall back on their land fund, He would not make any allusion to the General Assembly, but on the following evening he would go into all important public questions. The way he had been elected was an honor to any man, and any rupture between himself and his constituents he should very much regret. His name, inside and outside the House, was always connected with Timaru. [Applause.] an y other member represented Timaru now he should feel very much aggrieved. It was always very gratifying to a member to know and feel that the most sensible portion of his constituents were with him. He had been solicited by other places to represent them, but his Timaru constituents had behaved well to him, and as long as they did that he did not wish to leave them. [Applause ] He had every reason to believe that on all important questions he was thoroughly in accordance with them as regarded the Government, and holding that opinion he had greater pleasure in representing them than if he was not. He thanked them for thoji confidence, and trusted it would not be mis placed hereafter. There being no other candidate in thefifld, Mr Stafford proposed a vote of thanks to theReturning Officer, which was carried by acclamation. Mr Jonas said that he did not think the ensuing night would suit well for the meeting, and asked Mr Stafford if it could not be postponsed so as to give those resident at a distance a fair notice, Mr Stafford said he was quite at the service of the electors up till the 3rd of January, when he wished to attend two elections in the North. He would hold his meeting here on Friday evening. THE ELECTION FOR GERALDINE. The following account of the proceedings, in connection with the election for Geraldine, is condensed from the Timaru Herald :— The polling for the Geraldine election took place on Monday at Temuka and Geraldine, resulting in the return of Mr Wakefield by the casting vote of the Returning Officer. Both towns were crowded with electors and visitors from an early hour in the morning, and, although (party feeUng ran high, and great enthusiasm was displayed by the supporters of the respective candidates, complete order and good feeling prevailed throughout the election. Towards four o’clock, the hour fixed for the close of the poll, the excitement became intense, all sorts of rumors, which were manifestly baseless, being current as to the prospects of this, that, or the other candidate. At about three o’clock, Mr Wakefield, who had been absent at Christchurch for some days, owing to a serious domestic affliction, arrived at Temuka by a special train, and on appearing at the election with the Hon Mr Stafford, was received with loud cheers. At a few minutes past four, a telegram from Geraldine announced the poll there as follows :—Wakefield, 61 ; Hayhurst, 12; Wilson, 10. A general impression then prevailed that ho majority which either of his opponents could gain at Temuka would turn the balance against Mr Wakefield, but his supporters eventually discovered that they had immensely underrated Mr Hayhurst’s strength. At about half-past four the results of the Temuka poll were communicated to the public as follows Hayhurst, 90; Wakefield; 41 ; Wilson, 34 ; thus bringing the votes for Mr Wakefield and Mr Hayhurst to 102 each. For a few minutes an impression existed that Mr Hayhurst had a majority, and his supporters cheered him loudly, shouting “ Down with wool,” “ Down with Wakefield,” and other generous exclamations calculated to raise the drooping spirits of a defeated candidate. When, however, it was found that a tie had been polled, all parties cooled down considerably, and the delicate question of “ How will ‘ Daddy’ vote ?” was freely bandied from mouth to mouth After a strict scrutiny by the Returning Officer and his deputy, the numbers as stated were found and at half-past six Mr

Woollcombe appeared in the verandah of the Court House, where he found himself vis a vis with an eager crowd of five or six hundred people. After stating the number of votes polled for each candidate, and mentioning the circumstances of the tie necessitating him giving a casting vote, he went on to say that as a returning officer, he was obliged by law to decide an election where the number of votes for each of two candidates was the same. It must be remembered that as an elector of the district he had virtually a right to vote for the candidate whom he thought the best. He knew he had a somewhat painful and embarrassing duty to perform, and he should cause a soreness to a good many people, but he could not help it. He had *not voted as an elector at all, but he should give his casting vote as returning officer in favor of the candidate whom he really thought would best represent the electors. He should vote for Edward Wakefield, whom he then declared to be duly elected.

Messrs Wakefield, Hayhurst, and Wilson, then addressed the electors, and the crowd slowly dispersed, the chief topic of conversation being the “doubtful vote” to which Mr Hayhurst had referred. It soon became known that an attempt would be made to upset the election, on the ground that a vote had been recorded by a person whose father of the same name was really the registered elector. Mr J. White, Crown Solicitor, was understood to be taking a very active part in urging this objection, and, although it was commonly asserted that Mr Hayhurst had no desire to dispute the validity of the election, it was yet maintained by many of Mr Wakefield’s opponents that Mr White would upset him yet. After careful investigation, we are assured that the vote in question was unimpeachable, the voter being able to prove registration. There is, we believe, some flaw in the description of the qualification, but that, of course, does not at all affect the elector’s right to vote. We believe a further objection to Mr Wakefield’s election has been subsequently raised, on the alleged ground that the Returning Officer voted as an elector after the close of the poll ; but this is disposed of by the simple fact that Mr Woollcombe never voted as an elector at all, but merely gave his casting vote as Returning Officer. Mr Wakefield’s election is therefore unassailable, and we have to congratulate the Geraldine flectors on their choice. They have undoubtedly secured for their member the candidate who presented the most valid claims to their support, and we trust that nothing will ever happen to cause the district of South Canterbury to regret the result of this most exciting election.

Fitzherbert Hutchison Lower Hutt ... 117 9 Taita 17 14 Upper Hutt ... 35 5 Wainui Omata ... 9 38 178 68 Majority for Fitzherbert .. . 112

Mr Montgomery. Mr Pil Akaroa ... ... 106 65 Lyttelton... Governor’s Bay ... 50 11 ... 19 8 Pigeon Bay ... 16 17 Little River ... 5 16 Okain’s Bay ... 9 42