ALEXANDRA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 282, 26 June 1873, Page 6

ALEXANDRA.

(From a Correspondent.) June 20th. Heaven be thanked the elections are over at last, and people are beginning to calm down from the state of unusual excitement into which they had worked themselves during the last few days. ' We have had the usual amount of electioneering bores who crop up on these occasions. There was the man ' who seizes yon by the button- hole and fnriiishes you with a history of the past session, illustrated with wonderful statistics, and windingup with the declaration that the country will go to the dogs unless you vote for his candidate, and who, seeing that you look serious, thinks he has made an impression, when in fact one is only considering whether it would be safe to rid oneself of him by knocking him down. Then there is the inquisitive bore, who wants to know how Splodger voted on the boiling.down question ; and whether there is any truth in the rumor that Dodger has been bought by the squatters ; also if you think that Hodger's and Podger's combination had been formed with the intention of selling the country, and who gets so i confused with the mass of information he receives that, when he goes into the polling room, he does not know who ! to vote for, and allows the pencil to wander meditatively over the different names until he spoils the voting paper, and causes the poll 'clerk to anathematize his stupidity and the enthusiastic scrutineers are in a peifect fever of irritation, as they are all perfectly satisfied he meant to vote for their candidate. We also had the inevitable man on horseback, who is continually starting off at full gallop to nowhere in particular, and who returns in half an hour afterwards at racing speed, with such an important look of mystery that a crowd quickly gathers round him, and at last, unable to restrain their curiosity,- they ask him if he has heard

any news, when, looking as if he was divulging the most important information, he drawls out, "N-o; I have seen no one. How are things going on here!" Being peaceable, no one kioks him. But why should 1 describe the various types — are they not to be found in every district 1 As to the elections, they caused the keenest contest that ever took place in the district ; both parties worked hard for their candidates, and Mr. Maoandrew had only a (majority of two out of the largest number of votes ever polled here. For the Provincial Council the J numbers polled were : Mr. Shepherd, 53; Mr. Hazlett, 44; but at Clyde Mr. Hazlott turned the tables on his opponent, the numbers being, Hazlett, 128; Shepherd, 7; leaving Shepherd in a minority of 112. The returns from Blacks and Drybread are not in yet, but I do not think they will alter the result. While on this subject, I may mention a report to the effect that a number of men from the Kawarau district voted at Clyde under their miners' rights, thus helping to swell Hazlett's majority. I think something should be done to stop this practice ; it is rather too bad for outsiders to swamp the votes of the residents of a district, besides the system offers such facilities for double voting, for if persons are on the electoral roll they can vote by virtue of their miners' right in one district and by their property qualification in another, with very little chance of detection. Ido not see why holders of minera' rights should not register their claims to vote the same as a property holder; for if a man does not consider it worth his while to register his vote, it is hardly worth while giving him the privilege. Of course candidates who happen to gain by the present system may not see anything wrong in it, but they should remember that it is a double-edged tool thdt may be used against themselves on some future occasion. In mining matters there is very little to chronicle ; the elections have rather unsettled work during the week. The weather keeps very mild, with occasional wet days, giving the gully workers a plentiful supply of water, but keeping the Molyneux at rather too high a level for the river workers, particularly the claims at Butchers Point. The Hit or Miss Co., at Sandy Point, are busily engaged trucking the gravel. They have not bottomed yet, but I believe the top gravel contains sufficient gold to pay the expense of working. The Steam Dredg9 ' Company are waiting for the result of their application for a special claim, when they will be At once prepared to give the order for the construction of the dredge. I have nofc heard of any of the present dredges being on to anything payable.