How The Country Voted.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 50, 6 October 1887, Page 2

How The Country Voted.

A glance over the election returns, and a comparison of the figures, affords some interesting information. As nearly as it is possible to ascertain, the total number of votes recorded was 80,743. out of which the 54 elected Opposition candidates polled 25,099, ana the Ministerial candidates who were successful polled 19,126, the one member-elect who is classed as a “ doubtful ” having 779 supporters. Thus the House represents rather more than one half the electors who voted. The unsuccessful Opposition candidates polled 14,582 vetes, and the unsuccessful Ministerial candidates 18,497 while 2660 votes were cast for “ doubtful ” candidates who were rejected Excluding the “ doubtful,” successful and unsuccessful, we find that the verdict of the electors was against the Government by the small majority of 2058, the number of electors who voted for Opposition candidates being 39,681, while 37,628 electors voted for Ministerialists. The Opposition members represent, within a fraction, an average of 465 electors each, and the Ministerial members a fraction over 478 each. Mr. Guinness, the Ministerial member for Greymouth, polled the largest number of votes of any candidate, 1185, while his unsuccessful opponent, Mr. Petrie, polled more than double the average of votes recorded for the members of the new House. Mr. Marchant, the memberelect for Taranaki, polled the smallest number of votes of any of the successful candidates.