Mayoral Election.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3718, 24 November 1880, Page 2

Mayoral Election.

Today the town was all agog, and the placarded cabs and flaming posters showed that the event of the day was the annual election of Mayor. Thames people always take a great interest in the choosing of the highest civic functionary, and to-day they entered fully into the spirit of the thing. The polling booth was the Court House, Grahamstown end Mr Davies, the Returning Officer, and his assistants were kept pretty busy all day, but especially towards four o'clock, when the "8 o'clock shift" men came to record their votes. Mr Wilkinson's committee room was exactly opposite the polling booth, and Mr Brassey's the building adjoining the Queen's Hotel. Cabs were continually running to and fro and bringing up voters from Tararu and Shortland, but there was a manifest absence of election beer. We heard several old topers growling audibly at the " cold water crowd." At an early hour this morning the betting was about two to one on Wilkinson, but as the day advanced Brassey's supporters became more confident, and the betting showed that the chances of the two candictate* were considered about equal. Owing to the exodus to Te Aroha we very much question if more than 400 votes altogether will be recorded. The poll will be closed at 6 o'clock, and the result should be known shortly before seven o'clock. At midday appeared an extra, issued frem the Advertiser office in support of Wilkinson's candidature, and soon after a poster appeared characterising the extra alluded to above as scurrilous. At half-past four o'clock over 309 votes had been recorded, and as far as could be ascertained Mr Brassey appeared to have a slight advantage. y