CITY COUNCIL ELECTION.

On Tuesday last an of member* of the City Council took place In the Town Hall at noon. There were five memhert to be chosen to fill the vacancies caused by the absence of Messrs. Olllvler, Lock, and B. B. Bishop (who retire by rotation) and by the resignation of Messrs. Tribe and Pavltt. 4 Mr. Ou.tvtKn presided and opened the proceed* Ings of the meeting by reading the advertisement for convening It. lie remarked that It wa* the duty of himself and his colleagues, who were about-to retire, to giv* sonic account of their doing* during their tenure of office. He had the greatest pleasure In doing so, for he thought that they could look with gratification on what, they had accomplished, and he was sure that the public would bo satisfied that they had faithfully discharged the duties committed to them. The first point to which he should allude was the snpply of water. He had always suggested the boring of artesian wells, and had succeeded In obtaining the boring-rods belonging to the Kowal Company. The suggestion had at flr*t been scouted ; but he and his friend the City Surveyor had always clung to the idea which had been so successfully carried out bv the judgment and thonghtfulness of the City Council. They had had many obstacles to overcome, and many persons predicted that all their efforts would only result in failure, yet the experiment had succeeded admirably, and now, at a trifling and almost an insignificant cost, the City had a splendid supply of water—a supply almost sufficient to wash away Christehureh. This the Council had no intention of doing—they would bo quite satisfied if by and bye water.was laid on in the dwellings of the inhabitants. But he had other matters to allude to besides the question' of water-supply. The time had arrived when a stop might be conveniently put to the further erection of timber structures. A bill containing a great number of clauses on this subject hod been introduced by him into the last session of the Provincial Council. The bill was a lengthy one —so lengthy that It had frightened tho Council, who in committee had only considered about one-half of it. It will however be taken into consideration next session. The Fire Brigade Ordinance bad now become law; and he thought that the City had reason to be proud of its excellent and efficient Firo Brigade, who bv the enactments of that Ordinance had acquired that recognised status to which they had a just right. An Ordinance for licensing hackney carriages had been obtained, and the City Council were now engaged In drawing up a code of by-laws—a very bulky production, for it contains 55 clauses—for the further regulation of licensed vehicles throughout the city. The vehicles are to be inspected by an officer appointed for that purpose, and the drivers must be men of good character. He believed that the public would be satisfied with these regulations; the drivers had assented to them. And now he was come to a most important subject—that of drainage. The Council had adopted a capital system of drainage— a system which ho was sure would be calculated greatly to improve the health of tho city. The plans were drawn—the Surveyor was ready—we only want money. But the work I* worth the outlay; a rate of Is, Is fid, or even 2« is quite immaterial, provided we secure the healthiness of the city. By a small expenditure the lives of many dear to us all would perhaps be saved, whose deaths would be laid at the door of the City Council. (A voice— " Bosh.") If what he said was bosh, then the statements of the newspapers were also bosh, for the assertion had been made. Drainage is a work of public necessity; it must be carried out at all costs. We are not working for a few years or to meet a temporary emergency—we were working for alt time. Better to drain the city at once; better to take the bull by the horns. The present time wa* the cheapest for undertaking the work. Again, the street* had been lighted. The annoyance to our wives and daughters in being obstructed by the degraded women who haunt the streets, and the actual danger in walking in many thoroughfares had been obviated by the introduction of gas, which had superseded oil and kerosine. He was astonished that an article bad appeared in the Lytlelton Timet in which the writer complain* thai he cannot understand the balance sheet supplied by the City Council. He'(Mr. O.) thought that the statements in that sheet were perfectly clear. It would have been better if the writer (had he needed any information) had applied either to himself or to his friend Mr. Gordon, either of whom would have willingly explained any apparent difficulty. But perhaps the writer had made the mistake of dipping his pen into gall instead of ink. There was an implied suggestion that public money bad beeri wasted on " feeds." He begged to give till* assertion an unqualified denial. There bad been many committees appointed; the members had worked late and early aud had encountered many unpleasant occurrences in the course of their ronnd* of inspection, &c, A small sum, say *15, had been spent in refreshments, tea, coffee, and an occasional glass of sherry. He had always supported the payment for these, although he Itad not been a member of any committee. Speaking of u feed* "he would mention that the Council had resolved to invite hi* Excellency the Governor to a civic dinner, whieh would cost £ 150, to be provided for out of the rates. In conclusion, he begged to be allowed to retire; for two years he had worked hard, and was anxious to obtain an interval of repose. Before saying that simple word—farewell—he would take that opportunity of thanking Ids colleagues for the support they had afforded him on every occasion, and the public for the confidence they had reposed in him. He hoped that the next City Council would do their duty as efficiently as the present one had endeavoured to do theirs. " The meeting having declined to hear the annual' report of the City Surveyor read, the election of the candidates commenced. Mr. Tribb proposed Mr. T. tuck, alluding to his past labours in the Council, and to his successful organization of the Wtes in honour of the marriage of H. Hi H. the Prince of Wale*. Mr. Samuel* seconded the nomination. t Mr. E. Rbkcb proposed Mr. G. Allen, who was an old settler and a good of business. Mr. 3. C. Aikman seconded the proposition. Mr. D. Anwbkson proposed, and Mr. Stuikoer seconded, Mr. 8. C. Farr. Mr. Inwood, amidst great applause, proposed Mr, Olllvler, Mr. Roddkkklau seconding the nomination. Mr. J. Vincbnt in an emphatic speech proposed Mr. Rutland. Mr. Wmttowsow seconded the proposition. Mr. Montoombb* proposed Mr. W. 11. Lane; the proposition was seconded by Mr. Oswald. Mr.TauiK proposed, and Mr, Ajii>kh»on seconded, Mr. 3. C. Brooke. . . Mr, Luck proposed Mr. E. B. Bishop; Mr. Wobth seconded the nomination. The candidates having, In reply to various speakers, declared their views on several subjeci*, which referred principally to the manner In which the drainage should be paid for, and the division of the city Into wards, a show of hands was taken with tiie following result:—Mr. Olllvler, unanimous; Mr. Bishop, 64$ Mr. Rutland, 50; Mr. Allen, 47 j Mr. Luck, 39 ; Mr. Lane, ai ; Mr. Farr, 28 t Mr. Brooke, 15. A (mil having been demanded by Mr. Lane, the chairman announced that It would commence at 10 a m- on the following day, closing at 4 p.m. The meeting broke up after the usual vote of thanks to the chairman.

THIS POLL Commenced at 10 o'clock, a m., yesterday, at the small room adjoining the Town Hail, and closed at 4 p.m., the following result being announced by Mr, Olllvler, Chairman and Returning Officer, amidst cheer.* and applause t— Mr. Olllvler 459 Mr. Bishop ... ... ... 31® Mr. Luck ... ... ... 308 Mr. Farr Mr. Lane S® 9 Mr. Allen - »« . Mr. Brooke ... ... ... Mr. Rutland... ... The sueecssful candidate*, who were loudly cheered, returned thank* for the honour done them by'the ratepayers in sending them to, the Cfeuneil. The unsuccessful competitor* returned their acknowledgment* for the »ufflr#ge» received by them, expressing their hopes of being more fortunate on a future occasion. .. .. . The Hall was crowded with a good-humoured audience anxious to hear the result. Considerable Interest was evinced In the proceedings, more so than on any previous election, even of member* fear the Provincial Council, .... A vote of thank* to the Chairman, which *** aeknbwledged In a humorous apeech by thai gentleman, terminated the proceeding*.