City West.

The nomination of Parliamentary candidates for this electorate took place at noon to-day, about 500 persons being present. The appearance of Messrs Goldie, Shera. and Morrison upon the platform with their chief supporters was the signal for applause. Mr A. E, Whitaker (in the absence of Mr Thos. Cotter, Returning Officer for the district) presided, and opened the proceedings in due form by reading the writ and the advertisement convening the meeting. Mr Whitaker explained that Mr Cotter was otherwise engaged to-day serving his country. He himself had been appointed substitute Returning Officer. He concluded by inviting nominations. (Applause.) Mr Henry Shearer had much pleasure in nominating Mr Edward W. Morrison as a fit person to represent City West. He had known him for many years, he had filled various public positions with ability, and he was sure that he would ably and worthily represent City West in Parliament.

Mr Herbert Deveron explained that in the absence of the gentleman selected to second Mr Morrison's nomination he had been asked to discharge that duty. He accepted the task, although' he had taken no important share in the elections. This was said to be a grave crisis, but the same thing was said at all general elections. As a man who had resided here . for many years, he declared that Auckland, had never held her proper place in the councils of the country. He would not vote for Mr Shera because he supported Sir George Grey, whom he regarded as a political nuisance. (Uproar.) He, therefore, had. much pleasure in seconding Mr Morrison's nomination. ' Gr. Frank Phillipps nominated Mr David Goldie, a man well known to all of them. (Applause.) The present election was fraught with greater consequences to eveiy man, woman and child in the country than since constitutional Government had been placed in our hands, and it therefore behoved every elector to ponder well before voting. We Were suffering from trade depression, we were over-burthened with taxation, capital was idle,and labour was leaving the country. The alternatives wore, retrenchmeutandhonestGovernmenton the one hand and national bankruptcy on the other hand. To this pass we had been brought by extravagance and dishonesty, and as the Parliament was said to be the reflex of the people it was incumbent upon us to return honest, intelligent, and conscientious men to Parliament—who would commence retrenchmentat the top of the tree and work downwards. (Voices : " Cut it short," and persistent uproar.) The Chairman appealed for order. Mr Phillipp3 resumed his remarks amid renewed disorder. Mr Goldie had been in the Council 13 years. (A voice : "We know all about that," and uproar, which led to another appeal from the Chairman.) In the midst of determined interruption Mr Phillipps was, with difficulty, heatd by the reporters to Bay that Mr Goldie had given the people 13 years' service in the Council, he had represented City West with signal credit in the House of Pvepresentatives, and he had also served the public in the Harbour Board and Education Board. Mr J. T. Jullian seconded the nomination of Mr Goldie.

Mr W. Duncan,J.P.,nominated Mr John McEffer Shera as a candidate. For very many years he had been distinguished by steady and consistent efforts in the Liberal interests ; he had exerted himself again, and again for the return of members pledged to the Liberal cause (uproar), and he had given .an "'unfaltering allegiance to Sir George Grey. i

Mr Harkness j Hamilton seconded, the nwiuatiw and offered no remaxk* as (he

electors were visibly impatient to hear the candidates.

Further nominations were invited,but the only response was a cry of " Hodge" in stentorian tones.

The Returning Officer accordingly invited the candidates to address the assemblage.

Mr E. W. Morrison, who was received with applause, promised not to detain the electors long, as he intended to address them again on Friday night, we had received very fair treatment ! r0™ the Press, and if his speech in the Foresters' Hall lasb Friday had not been reported, he supposed ib was because the newspapers like the people were tired of the prolonged electioneering campaign. As for his present candidature he had been first in the field for City West. It was not altogether of his own seeking. For two sessions past he had been at Wellington, and knowing how thoroughly the people were tired of Mr Dargaville, he had been induced to come forward to contest the seat against that gentleman. He was not then aware of Mr Goldie's or Mr Shera's intentions. Still as he had come out he would stick to his promise to go to the poll. (Applause.) A sailor, they knew, never turns his back on a fight-.- (Laughter and applause.) If honesty and integrity would be of any assistance to them in Parliament he was the man. (Laughter.) He came before them as a working, man's candidate (applause), and he yielded to no one in knowledge of the requirements of the Avorking classes.or in zeal to serve their interests. He had been a miner,a sailor and a pick-and-shovel man (applause), and he was happy to say that he owed no man anything. (Cheers and laughter.) He hoped the election would be conducted to its finish in an amicable spirit. The great cardinal principles he adovcated were :— protection, retrenchment, and a fair settlement of the people on the land. On Friday night he would enter more fully into political matters. (Cheers.)

Mr D. Goldie was received with loud and prolonged cheers. He said that he ha,d very little need to take up much of the electors' time, as he might possibly have another chance of addressing them before the poll day. (Avoice:We'regoingtovoteforyou.) Moreover, he had less necessity than either of his opponents to explain what he had done or what his views were,, for during the last 13 years lie had been actively engaged in political life in Auckland, and for 20 years past he had been living in the district. (Applause). So long ago as 1874 h& was elected to represent them in the Provincial Council, and since then he had been and was still serving the public in the City Council, the Harbour Board, the Hospitals- and Charitable Aid Boards and the Board of Education. (Cheers.) Furthermore he had represented City West for one session in the general assembly. They had therefore had every opportunity of watching his|course, and if they approved of what he had done they would vote for him. (Cheers.) He advocated the same three fundamental principles that Mr Morrison had just mentioned to them. When he entered the House of Representatives in 1879 the very first thing he tried to accomplish was to secure that retrenchment for which the country was calling out to-day, but then, as now, the Government was the great stumbling block in the way. It adroitly shifted its burthens on to the local bodies without in any way lessening its ex - expenditure. To-day Auckland was spending £17,000 a year in poor rates, and towards that amount Auckland was finding £9 a day. Had it not been for the interest on the Costley's bequest we should have to find £15 a day. The levy however would be still further increased for the Government would cease the subsidy and then the whole £17,000 would be as a charge upon us. We- required members which would resist further taxation. In the last House of Representatives he had been informed that there were only 35 members who paid their Property Tax while 60 of them did not pay it having property of. less, than £500 in New Zealand. There should be sent to Parliament who, feeling themselves the weight of taxation, would be careful not to increase it. (Cheers). , The electors should also see to it that they did not return men who had passed through the Bankruptcy Court or who had compromised with their creditors. (Hooting, hissing, applause, and general uproar). On the question of protection, it was very evident to him that unless industries were protected our artisans would be compelled to leave the country. The Government were even now bringing in immigrants at the other end of the colony, for the purpose, he believed, of benefiting the big Shipping Company. The electors should be careful to secure men who favoured protection, and in this connection he reminded them that the great enemies of protection were the importers. This was shewn last session by the action of the Canterbury importers. (Applause ■ and counter-demonstration. He believed the good work commenced by Mr Ballance in •placing the people on the land should be continued. (Applause.) But for most settlement schemes instead of the city find£4,ooo for poor relief, up to the present we might have had to find £34,000 (Renewed applause.) He was prepared to go to Wellington and to act as faithfully in the public interests as he had been doing for the past 13 years, trying to save the people from further taxation, and to make those bear tne burthens who were, best able to do bo. (Loud cheers.)

Mr J. M. Shera was received with an ovation similar to that which greeted Mr Goldie. He said he could not claim to have been their representative but he thought'he might claim 'to -some little knowledge in political matters!- ; (Mr Goldie : " Hear "j. He had never beon known as the vacillating member for Auckland West (laughter), and when Parliament dissolved he had never been afraid or ashamed to meet his constituents face to face as their representative had been (applause and nproarj in 1879. (Applause and hooting.) He had never in a great political crisis kept his mouth shut and sold the constituents who had placed confidence in him. (Uproar.) He nad not then retired into private life, and remain aloof from the Liberal party for 10 years, and to return in the present junction, and claim the support of that Liberal party. (Applause and hissing.) Hep had never as a confidential clerk betrayed his employed and misappropriated his property. (Determined uproar and loud groans and cries of "It's a lie," and "Prove it.") He had never been an accessory to burning 1,500, nominations to prevent men of a different creed from coming into the colony. (Loud hissing and general uproar. From this point forward Mr Shera could only make himself heard with difficulty). He had been accused of the crime of being staunch to Sir George Grey, If it were a crime to b» staunch to political friends and principles, he was guilty, and it was a crime he would repeat. (Applause). Hewouldbestauncedto Sir Geo. Grey—the old man lying enfeebled at Wellington ovor-taking his /strength in the cause of the people. (Uproar). After eulogising Sir Geo. Grey, Mr Shera went on to say that the man who gave Mr Goldie information re the Property Tax must have violated his trust. He concluded by saying he had confidence in the result of the election, and by asking the electors to vote for him at the ballot box.

The Returning Officer collected £1 from the candidates called for a showing of hands, and declared the resiilt to be :— Goldie .i, ... ~. ... 106 Shera i.., ... ... ..? 62 Morrison ~.,... ~. 50 Messrs Sheva and Morrison demanded a