CANTERBURY MEMBERS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

West Coast Times, Issue 163, 27 March 1866, Page 3

CANTERBURY MEMBERS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

(From the Staadard.)

The Canterbury elections for the General Assembly may bo said to bo virtually over. All the seats have been filled, with the exception of Wcstlnnd, tho nomination for which was to take place on the 12th inst. (Monday next), md the polling, if necessary, on the 1 3th. It may not be uninteresting to, niv readers if we offer a few remarks m the results, not only o£ the Cantermry elections, but on those of other provinces, so far as we know them. In the first place, let us deal with our own province. Of tho thirteen elections which have already taken place, five lave been contested, and eight uncon.estecL The first contest was forKaiii>oi, in which Mr Boswick defeaWl Mr t'ravers. There seems to be some doubt ibout Mr Beswick's views with regard ;o Separation. Men of all parties voted "or him. Mr Travers was a very decided mti-Separationist. The second contest was for the Avon listrict, when Mr Crosbie Ward, an ivowed Scpavationist, Was returned by i majority of seventy nine over Mr C. W. Bishop. Akaroa was the next, and \lr Armstrong's return is due, not to iis political principles, for their exist(nce seems doubtful, but to his local nfluence. The Ileathcote constituency eturned Mr Hall, who holds strong mti Separation views, by a triumphant najority over Mr Buckley, who was mderstood to be in favor of Separation, jyttelton has chosen to be represented >y a local man, Mr Hargreaves, whose news with regard to Separation, or inlecd on any other point, may be said 0 bo a moot question. Ho has not Icclared himself. If anything is to bo nferred from Mr Crosbie Ward doing ill tho talking of the contest for him, it s that Mr Hargreaves is a Separationst. Of the five contested seats, then, >nly one has returned a decided and ivowed Separationist, — the Avon. Messrs Beswick, Armstrong, and Harjreaves may be said to be neutral, so ay as their opinions are known. Of the sight, uncontestcd seats, seven have reurned determined opponents of Separa;ion. Mount Herbert, for which Mr tfoorhouse was returned without oppotition : without having issued an address ;o the electors, and without, so far as ive are 'aware, any specific declaration if his opinions outgeneral politics; sends 1 doubtful man to the Assembly. We ?ay because Mr Moorhouse lias chopped and changed so much on Separation that it is, at this moment, impossible for us to say whether ho is for it or against it. If we believe his last address to tho electors with regard to his candidature for the Superintendency, Mr Moorhou^o will not advocate Separation, or vote for it : if we believe the prospectus of the Middle Island Association, which is still occasionally published in tho " Lyttelton Times" (it was so on Monday last), although the association itself is virtually defunct, Mr Moorhouso is a Separationist. Mr Moorhouse, for these reasons, must be placed among tho doubtfuls, which is rather a pity, both for himself and the colony. The net result, then, is eight known anti-Separationists ; one Separationist; and four doubtfuls How far all the' gentlemen elected will support or O2>poso Mr Stafford, is another question. We may look for it that Messrs FitzGerald, Hall, Jollie, and one or two others, will be decidedly in opposition. Mr Crosbie Ward has said, first, that he would on no account take offico with Mr Stafford, and he hns also solemnly withdrawn that declaration. At the present moment wo do not really know by which he may consider himself bound, or whether he considers himself bound by any. Were wo asked our candid opinion, it would be to tho effect thnt Mr Crosbie Ward is always open to treat with any Ministry for oifico. It is ;it least within the range of possibility that Mr Stafford may iuduco him to take office, in pursuance of his declared intention of looking for ministers from all the most important provinces. Perhnps, though, Mr Moorhuuse may bo seduced as the representative of Canterbury in this ministry of all the provinces, as well as all the talents. The appointmonfc of Mr William Horton Rovell as Registration Officor for the electoral district of Wostland, is gazetted.

iionoors,