MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

CURISTOHURCH.

The poll for the election of members to Berve in the City Council took placi; yesterday, and was closed at 4 p.m., having commenced at 10 a.m. Mr W. Wilson, appeared in tho veranda of the City Council office, and announced the result of the poll as follows.—Duncan 130 Jameson 124 Tombs 119 Ruddenklau ... ... no Sheppard ~, 88 St, Quentin ... .„ 66 Allen 31 Hart is Nairn 12 Mr Reece withdrew from tho contest. Mr W. Wilson then declared that the first five-named gentlemen woro duly elected as members of the City Council. Mr Naiun said that he should protest against the legality of tho poll. It had been taken as a whole, whereas it ought to havo been divided into two parts. Mr Duncan thanked the electors for tho honour which tlusy had dono him in placing him at tho head of tho poll. He considered that tho result of the election was a great compliment to tho old mcnH ors of the Counoil, us it proved that the ratepayera hud full confidence in them, and it shewed that tho members of tho late Council hail dime their tluty on past as they wero ready to do on future occasions. Many new streets and footpaths had been formed during the tenure of office by the late Council, and it would bo his desire, as ho was smo it would bo thut of his colleagues, to seo that the lowest possible rates wore levied.

Mr Tombs thanked tlio electors for the honour they had done him by again returning him us a member of the Council, lie hoped liy regularity of attendance, and a due attention to economy, to prove tlmt their confidence ill him had not been misplaced. Mr KuDDKNittAU fogged to return his gratotul acknowledgment! to the ratepayers who had again given him a seal in the Council. He looked upon the n-electinn of himself and his colleagues as a proof that his

m 1 8fttUfled wit!l MM* to promoto their interests. Mr jAMswur thanked the ratepayers for the compliment which tl.ey Imd pff 1 by again choosing him as their member for tho Uy Coun.ll. Ho could only nj t ] mt he should endeavour to pursue thosHmocour, which lie had always done, namelv that nf a vigilant attention to their interS Mr Siiei'l'aiid said that ho wns almost surprised at tlio honour which had been con f erred upon him. Ho had been asked to stand ut a day's notice, and felt highly gratifled at being placed in his present position. Now that his fellow-citizens hud deomed him worthy of their confidence, ho would do his utmost to merit that confidence, and trusted m ho should always be found in the place of duty. r Mr StQumitin, as ono of tlio unsuccessful and dutos, begged to thank those who had voted for him. At the earnest solicitation o some of tin Inhabitants of the northern ii ft, of l, « City ' he lia(1 come to solicit the suffrages of the ratepayers. Had he been elected, he would have done his best to further the interests of his fellowcitizens. They had, however, thought otherwise, and he was bound to bow to their decision, and he supposed that tlio northern portion of the city must continue, as it had hitherto done, to be unrepresented. Mr Allot declined to address the ratepayers, and Mr Hart waa not present. . After a few words from Mr Nairn, Mr Wilson declared that the business of thodaywasatanend. Mr St. Qukntin proposed a vole of thanks to Mr Wilson, which, having been carried unanimously, the proceedings terminated.

liTTIELTON.

The polling for the seats in the Lyttelton Municipal Council took place yesterday at the Municipal Offices, and excited considerable interest. During the day the following protest, signed by numerous ratepayers, was handed in:— '

"Totlio Town Clerk, Lyttelton.-We the undersigned, ratepayers of the town of Lyttelton, hr*ehy protest against the presence or Mr Joseph Ward in the Polling Booth, as calculated io giro him an undue and unfair advantage over bis brother candidates in the election." The poll closed at 4 p.m., and an adjournment was made to the large room of the Colonists' Society, for the purpose of declaring the final state of the poll. Mr Joseph Wakd, the chairman of the Municipal |Council, took the chair, and declared, the state of the poll to be as follows : K. England 73 Allivright 72 Merson ... ... , 1# 71 Ward "' 63 Willcox 61 Chalmers ... .„ ~', 50 Mutton 60 Grubb ,'," 48 Roper „. 35 Hill ... U StOUt 13 Cummins , „, 9 The Chairman said it was his duty to declare Messrs England, Allwright, Merson, Ward, and Chalmers, duly elected to serve for two years, and Messrs Mutton and Willcox for one year. He had to thank those gentlemen who had recorded their votes in his favour. With respect to the protest that had been entered against his presence in the polling-booth that day, he was required to be present by the Ordinance—(flo, no.)-and he had simply done his duty. He thanked them again for the honour they had done him. Mr H. Allwbiohx said that he was very proud of the position in which they had that day placed him., He was aware that an impression existed in the minds of the rate-

payers that he was going to England shortly, but such was not at present his intention. He would now refer to another matter which had occurred during the proceedings that day. He, in common with a great number ot other ratepayers of the town, had signed the protest'against the chairman being present in the polling booth during the voting, and recording the votes. The Act said that the chairman should make all arrangements for the proper carrying on of such election, but did not provide for the chairman being present. He was sure that the presence of Mr Ward in the booth was the means of Massing a large number of the voters. He again thanked them for the trust they had reposed in him, and when in the Council he would do his best to further the interests of the town of Lyttelton. (Applause.) Mr Thos. Merson, who on rising to speak was received with loud and continued entering, said such a warm reception was rather unnecessary to a man who, like himself, was of a modest and retiring disposition. They all knew that his business absorbed the most part of his time, but he considered it every man's duty to take upon himself the duties of citizenship. He was of opinion that the Council should give their earnest attention towards averting from the town the calamity of fire, and he thought that the money of the ratepayers could not be more properly spent than in carrying out this very desirable object. He also thought the water supplj was a subject of vital importance to the town, and he considered that a well-devised scheme of water supply for the town of Lyttelton should be one of the first and primary objects of the Council's deliberations. He had no particular policy to enunciate; he should go to that Council quite free and unpledged to any party, and he would do his best to promote the general good of the inhabitants of the town. He was extremely sorry that the gentleman whom he had proposed, Mr Roper, bad not been elected, as he felt certain he would have been a useful man. He might mention that he fully concurred with the protest which had been made during the day, and he thought that after such a public rebuke, any future chairman would not repeat the conduct. He thanked them very sincerely for the honour they had done him. (Cheers). Mr Willcox briefly addressed the meeting, thanking them for having returned him as one of the members. Mr Adam Chalmers also addressed the meeting, but from the storm of ".chaff "he was quite inaudible. Mr Mutton said he was not a public man, but he hoped when tin term of his ofhYe expired, ho should have so acted as to have secured the confidence of those who had elected him.

Mr Roi'er said he wished to thank those gentlemen who had voted for him, and he would take that opportunity of expressing himself relative to the protest which had been made that day. He believed that the presence of Mr Ward that day had had the effect of Massing a number of voters, and he contended that the election had not been conducted in a fair and equitable manner according to the Ordinance, and he hoped the protest would be considered at the first meeting of tlio new Council. Mr Stout having briefly addressed the meeting, The Churman said that the business of the day was at an end, With respect to the protest, ho could not go beyond what was laid down in the Ordinance His duty was pointed out clearly there, and ho had dom> it.

Mr Qwatkin asked the Chairman to rend the section of the Ordinance referred to.

The Chairman road tho clause, which provided that tho Chairman should presi o at the nomination, and also make such pro

vision for receiving tho votes, in case of a poll, as ho should deem At.

Mr Kopkh asked the chairman how he could occupy tho chair when lie was a candidate for re-election. Tho Chairman declined to answer the question, and after some good humoured " chaff," the meeting dispersed.