OTAGO

OTAGO. The electoral fight in Dunedin yesterday was fought out under most dismal circumstances. Throughout the day rain fell unceasingly, and canvassers, voters, and candidates went about their business in wretched plight. Nevertheless the business was done, and done in a most thorough and determined fashion; but the polling was less and the streets were far quieter than would have been the case in good weather. Opinion as to the result of the various contests fluctuated a great deal during the day, and only in one district (Dunedin South) was the result looked upon as a certainty in the afternoon. It was evident here pretty early in the day that Mr Fish's victory was assured, and although neither side slackened their efforts, this opinion wa9 confirmed as time wore on. In Dunedin East the war was waged with all the keenness that was looked for, seeing the momentous issue involved, and by 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon a general report wa3 in circulation to the effect that Mr Allen led. This, too, gained strength as closing hour approached, and many expected a larger majority. In Central Mr Oargill went off with a spurt, and apparently had the best of the polling all through the earlier part of the day. He gained especially for an hour or two in the middle of the day, and the Fitchett faction looked very grave indeed by 4 •or 5 o'clock. It was generally believed then tihib Mr Cargill was ahead, and it probably was a very close thing. But for the last two hours Dr Fitchett'B supporters came in great force, and as this was seen, excitement rose very high at the Garrison Hall, To the very finish it was believed to be a close struggle, and the steps and vestibule of the building were crowded by supporters of both candidates, who loudly cheered each new arrival. Most peoplo were doubtful of the result of this election up to the declaration, and few of Dr Fitchett's friends anticipated so handsome a majority, especially as ifc was known that the Good Templars had been working during the day for Mr Cargill. In Dunedin West matters were very quiet indeed, and here, too, the utmost uncertainty prevailed as to the issue —an uncertainty fully justified by the actual closeness of the numbers. DUNEDIN EAST. The contest in which unquestionably the greatest interest centred was that for the electorate of Dunedin East, in which the Premier of the colony (Sir R. Stout) was met by Mr James Allen, who came before the electors for the first time as a candidate. It was generally anticipated that the contest would be close. Both parties were confident but active, and as ifche day advanced the confidence by no means abated, and the partisans of each candidate .claimed a large majority. A considerable number of vehicles were called into requisition, apparently by the supporters of both candidates, and the polling was steady throughout the day. Although the weather was very inclement, the voting was in about the same proportion with the number on ttie poll as it was at the last general elections ', the numbers on the roll and the numbsrs polled being;— For 18841 —Number •tat roll, 1789; number voted, 1284. 1887—On liheroll, 2370; voted, 1770. Soon after the poll closed at 7 o'clock a crowd foegaa to gather, although the rain felt heavily, sand the number increased until there must fcaye ■ been 409 or 500 persons waiting to hear the result of the votiDg. The returns for the Union street bootn were made up shortly after 8 o'clock, and showed a majority for Mr Allen of four. The returns from the Valley did not arrive until 20 minutes to 9, and these returns anewased Mr Allen's majority by 25, so that he gained a majority of 29 over the Premier. At a quarter to 9 the front doors of the school were opened, and Mr A. Stewart, tho ireturning officer, announced the result of the nioll to be as follows: — Allen. Stout. Union Btreet >„ ... 780 770 .Norfch-East Vajley ... 109 84 Totals ... ,„ 889 BUO Majority for Mr Allen, 29; informa), 21. The announcement was received wifih #b@ers. On the doors being opened several rotten eggs w«re thrown, and there was considerable uproar. Mr Allen was interrupted several times, and Sir Robert Stout was hardly allowed to speak at all; the hooting and cheering when .he appeared being almost continuous. .Mr Allen said : Gentlemen, I have no words to express my thanks to you to-night.—(lnter-rupfcfon.) I will not detain you, as the weather is so bad. I could not in this election expect anything but a moral victory, but you have placed me at the head of the poll.—(Cheers and uproar,) It is not I that have won this victory; it is fche principles upon which I have fought, and it is due also to the great efforts that have been mad* by those who have worked so hard on my behalf .—^Applause.) Those who have worked so hard a&4 so long upon" my committee I never can thank sufficiently, nor can I ever thank sufficiently those whose votes have put me at the head of che poll.—{Applause.) I will not detain you longer to-night. *££Ie official declaration of the poll takes place on Wednesday, when I may say « few more words to jeu. Once more, gentlemen, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sir Egbert (stout, who was greeted with <cheers and hooting, said: Mr Returning Officer. —(lnterruption.) Gentlemen, all I have 4o say. —(Bookoo.) You have made my task very light to-nig&fe,—(Continued interruption.) Gentlemen, I shall nojb detain you more than a few miuutes. I have toila«ikthe voterswho have voted for me; I have to iU&nk my committee for their exertions; and in taking leave of Dunedin East I can only say this, that I e&all always remember the kindness with wnich inaoy have treated me. I may make a few more remarks at the declaration of the poll, but I now beg to thauk all those who voted for me—and those who voted against me I do not think have done rue any harm. —(Applause and uproar.) At the close of the proceedings a large number of people gathered in front of Mr Allen's .committee room and cheered the successful candidate, and rockets were sent up from the rear ai. the museum buildings. DUNEDIN WEST. sThetresalt of the poll for Dunedin West was debated at the principal polling booth shortly before 9 oiVlack, the North-East Valley returns being' rather late in coming to hand. There were a" large number of electors waiting patiently outside, tut <on the counting being ■completpd +.hey were admitted fco the hall. The IReturning Officer (Mr Jacison) then announced nthe result as follows:— Stewanfc. Dick, Albany street ... ... 516 -191 Übrth-East Valley... ... 177 I€ 9 Wakari ... ... ... 13 17 708 697 Majority for Mr W. D f Stewart, 9. There weoe 17 informal votes. The number vn the roll at tae general election in 1884 for JDanedin West was 1529, and the number who

voted 1000. Yesterday the number on the roll was 2079, and the votes polled 1403. The result was received with approbation. Mr Stewart expressed the gratitude he felt to those who had supported him during that very hardly- fought contest. He had a conviction that he should succeed, because he felt he had tho confidence ol the people. He had a portion of the press against him and also a few others, one of whom was making himself conspicuous at that meeting. He ventured to say that he hoped that the new Parliament would bring about a greater prosperity, which would benefit every class of the community. So far as he was concerned, it would be his utmost endeavour to discharge his duties so as to secure their satisfaction. He concluded by sincerely thanking tho electors, and expressing a hope that he would be able to show he deserved his election. The Hon. Mr Dick said on the present occasion he was satisfied he had come so near :to his opponent. There were 17 informal votes, which might have made it on the other side, but at all events the majority showed they were very near each other. The feeling of the constituents was in favour of Mr Stewart at the present time, and he should accept their dictum without a murmur. A vote of thanks to the returning officer concluded the proceedings. DUNEDIN CENTRAL; As in the other city electorates, the supporters of both candidates for Dunedin Central worked very hard during the day, and very few available votes were left unsolicited. The number on the roll this year is 2450, and of this number 1428 votes were polled. At the last general election in 1884 the number on the roll was 1791, and 1029 votes were recorded. By half-past 7 a large crowd had collected in front of the Garrison Hall, and Mr Ure, who has gained a reputation for being one of the smartest returning officers in the colony, did not keep the electors long waiting to hear the result, for at 20 minutes to 8 he appeared, and announced the result of the poll as follows :—: — DrFitchett ... ... ... 7 r '9 E. B. Cargill ... ... ... 629 Dr Fitchktt, who was received with loud cheering, said : Gentlemen, I lack words at this moment to give adequate expression of my gratitude for the high honour you have conferred on me in electing me to represent this, the most important constituency in the colony; and I fully recognise that in doing so you have acted not so much on account of my own merits as for the sake of the principles and the party. Believe me, I will endeavour so far as in me lies to do justice to the high trust you have reposed in me. I will work hard : my hands shall be clean, and I will endeavour when I meet you next to give you a good account of my trust. Permit me to thank most heartily those gentlemen who have worked so enthusiastically to secure my return — men, many of whom I do not know and who do not know me, but who have worked for the trial of their common cause. One word as to my opponent. Thecontesthasbeen conducted most courteously, and for Mr Cargill I have the highest esteem. That I, an unkuown and an untried man, should successfully oppose a gentleman so well known and so universally respected at Mr Cargill proves this: that the electors of this constituency are prepared to sacrifice persons to principles. The only thing that can detract from the pleasure I feel at this moment is the thought that Sir Robert may possibly be defeated in Dunedin East. Believe me, that much as I value this honour, I would rather lose this election than see him lose his. The colony can spare me, but Ido not think it can spare him. Thanking you once more, gentlemen, I beg to move a vote of thanks to the returning officer. This concluded the proceedings, and Dr Fitchett was then carried shoulder-high to his committee rooms in Princes street amid enthusiastic cheering. A large crowd assembled j in the room, and the footpath in front was ! blocked by those who could not gain admission. , Dr Fitchbtt again delivered a brief address, specially thanking his committee, after which the electors present proceeded in a body to Union street to hear the result of the Dunedin East election. DUNEDIN*SOUTH. A dense crowd, numbering some 500 people, assembled outside the polling booth in Stafford street, ana waited in the drenching rain for the result. There was a scene of considerable excitement when a few minutes before 8 o'clock the door was opened, and the returning officer, after inquiring vainly for the candidates, announced the polling as follows : — Fiih ... ... ... ,„ 847 Gore ... ... ... „. 522 Informal ... „. „, il Majority for Fi3h ... ,„ 325 Jmmense cheering followed the declaration, amidst which the successful candidate made hits way to the steps. Mr Fish said : Fellow- electors, if I were to say that this is tho proudtst moment of my life, I should not be telling you one word that is untrue. I have been before yon on other occasions, and have had to say much the same ; but this is the proudest moment of my life, for the reason that I have been grossly insulted by the press of i this city. —(Cheers.) The Ofcago Daily Times — (hootini.') — yes, you cannof do better than give I it three groans — the Obago Daily Times has i assaiJoO W p » n °t in the interests of the public, but for uers,on;U motives. The Obago Daily Times has assailed S^ery interest that this part I of the .colony, and the .colony as a whole, should j protect. Ido pot know what the result of the j Dunedin jjasb election js, b. ut I pray to God— (immense sheering)— as if, gentlemen, J[ were on my humble knees before my Creator, that { Robert Stout is returaed.=«-<(JBenewe,d cheering.) ■Gentlemen, the heart of Dunedin South has been sound. I knew I was sure of the working classes ; and by God, gentlemen, if the working people were with me in Dunedin South, how i much more should they have been with Sir ' Robert Stout in Dunedin East? Because, while t say that I am the friend of the working classes, H say that Robert Stout is trebly so. — (Cheers.) Gentlemen, every effort has been > made to beat me! JEhe Qtago Daily Times j and the Evening Star have assailed me : with t&e grossest vituperation. jSven the j Evening Herald, which is supposed ,to be the { i working man's paper, refrained from supporting me, although it knew W&s that I was a better representative of the working man than my ' opponent. .Gentlemen,! thinjc af tep this— seeing , I was returned £2 months ago to the City Council , by a triumphant majority— that theJ^aily Times > and the Evening Star jwu^t say that they do not ! represent the people.— <Oheers.) I .could go further and say of those bitter opponents of ' mine, Mr Henry John Walter-^groaas)— and ' Mr Donald Mackenzie Spedding, that they do ! not represent the people.— (Cheers.) Gentle- ' men, I stand before you as the representative of the working classes. I have asked ho vote from i the upper classes. My support has been solely ' confined to the working classes, and I am proud to say tbey baye returned me ; and I tell you, on the honaux.of an honest working man, they will never regret the 4»y.— (Cheers.) I knew j as well as I know that J. am standing j in nay two shpes ' $h&J; v %ge years

ago; my opponent was .returned not on/ his own merits, but on account of a dastardly attack made upon me which I had not time to refute. I recognise in this battle the triumph of labour over capital ; and when I say that,- 1 do not wish to infer that I am a foe to capital,- because they must go hand in hand, but that I am returned as the representative of the working classes. I shall make a more prepared speech at the official declaration of the poll, and in tho meantime I beg to say to the working masses that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. — (Cheering.) There were loud cries for Mr Gore at the conclusion of Mr Fish's remarks, but that gentleman did not put in an appearance, and the crowd assembled quickly dispersed in a very orderly manner. At the 1884 election there were 1379 eleotors on the roll for Dunedin South, and 905 voted ; at the present election there were 1963 on the roll, and 1380 voted. ROSLYN. The poll for the Roslyn district was not declared till past 9 o'clock, owing to returns having to come in from Maori Hill and Mornington. A large crowd of people, notwithstanding the heavy rain, gathered round the polling place from the time that the poll closed until the result was declared, and some lively spirits among them whiled away the time by dispensing flour and eggs of decided antiquity with an impartial hand. The Roslyn and Maori Hill returns were complete at a reasonable hour, but a long delay ensued before those from Mornington came to hand ; and it was with a feeling of relief that at last they saw the doors of the Town Hall open, and the Returning Officer (Mr J. Stone) come forward to declare the result of the election as follows : — Boss. Hutchison. Garlton. Mornington ... 203 279 132 Roslyn ... 347 147 167 Maori Hill ... 33 39 33 583 465 332 Majority for Ross, 118. The Returning Officer intimated that the official declaration of the poll would take place at noon on Wednesday. • Mr Ross, who was received with great cheering mingled with groans, and a volley of unsavoury missiles, said he had to heartily thank the electors for the position in which they had placed him. He could promise to do, as he had in the past, his full duty to his constituency, and he might add that he would ever act on his own opinion and on those of his constituents, and not yield one iota of principle to any man whatever, however eminent he might be. — \ (Great applause.) j Mr Carlton, who was also received with a j liberal amount of applause, said he bad to sincerely thank those who had voted for him, and those who had worked in his interests. He could hardly have expected a victory on the first time of his coming forward, especially as he had heavy odds against him ; but although he was beaten he was not killed, and he would have another try before long. — (Loud applause.) He had had a big load to carry this time — the Protection League, the Bible-in-schools people, and the temperance party being all against him — but still he was not disheartened.— (Applause.) There were loud calls for Mr Hutchison, but that gentleman did not appear. At the election of 1884 there were 1345 electors on the roll, and 896 voted ; at the present election there were 1826 electors on the roll, and 1380 voted. CAVERSHAM. A great deal of interest was taken in the Caversham election, and the supporters of both the candidates worked hard in bringing voters to the poll. It was thought by many a few days ago that Mr Rutherford would receive a block vote from the old men at the Benevolent Institution, but it said that only about 60 recorded their votes in his favour, while Mr Barron received about 40 of their votes. The total number of votes polled in the electorate was 1155, out of a possible 1517. Last year, when Mr Barron was returned to the House unopposed, there were only 818 persons on the roll, but a large number have recently been added. Yesterday, one of Mr Barron's sanguine supporters offered to bet 50 to 1 that the Freetrade candidate would be returned by a majority of 200, but no one could be found to accept the odds. The result of the poll fully justified the chariness of those who woald not take up the wager, as Mr Barron was returned by a majority of 233. About 20 minutes past 8 o'clock the Returning Officer declared the state of the poll, which was- as follows : — Mr Barron ... ... ... 687 Mr Hutherford ... ... ... 454 Majority for Mr Barron ... 233 There were 14 informal votes. The result of the voting at the different polling stations was as follows : — Barron. Sutharford. Oaveraham ,„ .„ 426 313 Kaikoral „. ... 40 29 Green Island .., ,„ 221 112 After the declaration of the poll, Mr Barron, who was received with cheers, said : Gentlemen, lam very pleased to hear the result of this election. — (Hear, hear.) If this contest has been as much good to you all as it has been to me, it has done a great service to the constituency. — (Hear, hear.) It has done you good, I believe, because it has awakened you to consider the question of the day, and to fairly consider the position of the colony's affairs ; also to make a choice between conflicting opinions. I am sure you have chosen rightly — (Hear, hear.) This contest has given me an opportunity which I could not or would probably not have had of I coming more closely into contact with those whose confidence I enjoyed. — (Hear, hear.) I will look back upon this contest as having established many valuable friendships amongst my constituents. It hap given me an opportunity of knowing their opinions and their life much more cjlosely than I have ever done before ; and that knowledge, gentlemen, must be a good thing to me at all events. Gentlemen, lam sure that I can promise nothing which would cOnvey to your minds any impression that I could pos? sibly strive to do more for your interests than I have done in the past. — (Hear, hear.) I am conscious | of haying done mjr very best in the past, and' conscious of a desire to do my very best in the future.— (Hear, hear, and a Voice : " The working man's candidate.") I would like to say that I am indebted, and I know you are indebted, to the zealous and patriotic and large number of public-spirited men in this constituency who .united tog for the purpose of seeing that the man who beat represented their political opinions should be returned at the head of the poll.— (Hear, hear.) .Gentlemen, I must acknowledge for myself my deep sense of the efforts that you have made in connection with this election, and I must say that I acknowledge that those who supported .the oJSher candidate fcaye fonght this election fairly and well — [ (Hear, hear.) .Gentlemen, I hope that this .wity be the beginning of better tames for the colony. I hope that the elections throughout the «oiony have resulted as the election in this eonstw tuency— in a triumph of what I consider the principles which it is necessary to give effect to in order to bring prosperity to this colony. I can only wy that I thank you for the .great honour that you have done me, When the offi<

rial declaration of the poll is made I shall then take the opportunity of addressing you if, you desire to hear me.' In the meantime, I thank you for the honour yon have done me now. At the conclusion of the speech vociferous ] cheers were given for Mr Barron, who was subsequently carried shoulder high through the crowd. Mr Rutherford then came forward to speak, bat was unable at first to obtain a hearing, owing 4;o the excessive noise. Someone in the crowd then sang oat, " Let him have a chance ; he deserves credit for his pluck," and the appeal had the desired effect of gaining a hearing for the candidate, who said : Well, gentlemen, I; came forward in this election advocating certain principles which' l thought were of interest to the whole community. — {Hear, hear.) My own defeat personally is not of the slightest consequence to me. I never came forward to push myßelf into the House of Parliament for any private purpose whatever. — (Hear, hear.) If the eleotors of the district have not appreciated what I believed to be the truth, and advocated unselfishly, I cannot help it. I tell you that before three years are accomplished, what I have advocated as true will be adopted by the country. — (Hear, hear, and cries of "No !") That is my opinion, and you will allow me to have my own opinion upon the matter. Those, of course, who don't see as I see, may think that the result will be different ; but I tell you at the present time it appears to me that if you don't begin to make your goods for yourselves, your country will get worse. I have only to give the greatest commendation to those who have unselfishly endeavoured to put forward the principles that I advocated by endeavouring to return myself. Personally, I say, I am perfectly satisfied with the result of the election. — (A Voice: "I don't believe it.") I can't help what you don't believe. You may believe a great number of absurdities, but I know it is true whatever you may 6ay or credit. I must give my most heartfelt congratulations to the individuals who wrought so zealously for mo. The minority to-day may become the majority to-morrowj and I think it is absolutely certain it will become so before the country turns round from its •taoressed condition and begins to rise. — (Cheers.)