CHRISTCHURCH.

Seldom bas a looal eleotien produoed the exoitement in Christchurch that prevailed today over the contest for the position ef Mayor of the Oity for 1884. Ihe fact of there being but two candidates, both wellknown citizens with large oiroles of friends, rendered it certain that the ight for the honour would be a hard one, and aooordingly the respective supporters of Messrs Hulbert aud Ayera put forth their beat efforts to secure the return of their man. Of course . caba and other vehicles were largely employed for the convenience of burgesses, aa they usually are at eleotion timeß, and an aotive paper warfare was main* tamed between the two parties by means of placards and cartoons. This morning most of the walls and hoardings in the oity were oovered with the productions, artistio and otherwise, of the friends of the rival candidates. Mr Hulbert's partisans published a cartoon in whioh the oontest for the civio ohair was represented under the guise of a prize fight, Mr Ayers, of course, being completely " knooked out of time " by the vigorous blows of his opponent. Ihe snpporters of Mr Ayers retorted with a representation of a soene frem "Leah, the Forsaken," in whioh "Miss Ohristchurch," as the injured damsel, addresses Mr Hulbert in the words 'This te me, H-lb-t, apostate, renegade, betrayer of his people." A oouple of plaoards were also issued, one of whioh counselled the eleotors to vote for Mr Hulbert, if they wanted a water-supply soheme at a cost of £230,000, and a drainage soheme to oost £150,000; while the other bore a list of various ratea, amounting altogether to 6s 6£d in the £, and advised the burgesses, "If you want this, vote for Hulbert." The leaders of the opposing parties were, however, aotive in other ways than merely satirising their antagonists. Eaoh party had a oommittee room in the vioinity of the Oounoil Ohamber, where the polling was held, that of Mr Hulbert being Oarew's stables, while Mr Ayera' head-quarters were in a marquee pitched on a vacant seotion fronting Oxford terraoe. Here the supporters of both men were busily engaged in examining rolls, issuing orders to their " whips " to hunt up voters, and generally direoting the operations of the day. Ihat the general pnblio took considerable interest in the contest, was shown by the faot-that a continuous stream of voters was passing in and ont of the polling booth during most of the day, while a number of persons were gathered outside the Ohamber, discussing the chances of the eleotion.