ELECTION FOR INVERCARGILL.

Southland Times, Issue 1317, 4 October 1870, Page 2

ELECTION FOR INVERCARGILL.

la pursuance of the writ, the nomination of candidates for election in room of Mr George Lurasden, resigned, took place at noon on Friday last. Very little interest was manifested in the event, which may be partly accounted for by the arrival of the English intelligence, together with the unsettled state of the weather. The candidates brought forward were Dr Hodgkinson and Mr H. E. Osborne. The show of hands was in favor of Mr Osborne by a large majority, and on behalf of Dr Hodgkinson a poll was demanded. The poll took place the following day (Saturday), and was, we understand, the first election of the kind in New Zealand under the new Ballot Act. The proceedings were confined.to. the Court-house, and. being strictly.-con-ducted on the silent system, little transpired in connection therewith. The ballot box was a novelty in itself. Indeed it is stated on responsible authority that one, if not both candidates, might have been concealed inside with perfect ease. Scrutineers were appointed for neither party, so that the entire proceeding was; left in the hands of the Keturoing Officer and his deputy. The interest taken in: the election was verysmall indeed, which is abundantly exemplified by the fact that out of between four and five hundred; ■..,'■-. '/■■'.-■ - - • ••*■ - : ■- - : ■ '

electors on the roll, only eighty-four votes were recorded. This may be attributed to the fact that both candidates are known to have been opposed to reunion, so that no choice could be made ao far as the more important political questions of the day were concerned. The poll commenced at nine, and closed at four o'clock sharp. A goodly number of people assembled to hear the result, which the OfficeE; gave out as follows :— - • ."•• -i" \ Hodgkinson ... ... 69 Oaborne 15 Majority for Dr Hodgkinson 54 Mr John Blacklock, as Dr Hodgkinson's proposer (that gentleman not being present), briefly thanked the electors for having returned him by such a large majority. Mr Osborne followed with a few remarks. As the defeated candidate, he had to thank those who voted for him, likewise those who had voted for his opponent. At the nomination he had stated that his principal object in contesting the election was to give the first election by ballot in New Zealand a fair chance of being tested. Having done so he was satisfied ; still he had to confess that he hardly expected he would have been defeated by such a large majority. However, he believed the electors con' sidered they bad selected the best man, and he bowed to that decision. A vote of thanks to the Keturning Officer brought the proceedings to a close.