PROVINCIAL DAYS

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 219, 16 September 1939, Page 2

PROVINCIAL DAYS

SOME of the humours of life in the era when New Zealand was divided into six provinces each with a full set of Parliamentary institutions under a Superintendent, besides the central Legislature, are revealed in MS. correspondence from New Plymouth in some family archives now before me. An election for Superintendent was not usually decided on broad national grounds; this was left to the General Assembly. Personal considerations decided the provincial contests.

The description of the provincial contest in semi-rural New Plymouth eightysix years ago was written by the defeated candidate, Mr. William Halse, in a letter to 9 Wellington friend. His opponent was Mr. Charles Brown. The unlucky one, writing on July 30, 1853, said:

"I had not time to write you bv last post, but news of one's ill luck travels apace; and you will have heard from other sources, of the result of the election for superintendent. Though setting aside the unpleasantness of defeat, I am better off as I am. And so I told the electors, whereat they laughed immoderately, as though they did not actually disbelieve me. I wish you had been here, for of the election nothing can be gathered from our paper, which is thorough Brown.

Friday, the loth, set in wet enough. At 12 a cannon was fired from the ship (Inn) and we started for the hustings in procession, preceded by the banner and a Hag of deep blue, having inscribed on them in large silver letters —"Halse and cheap laud"; and "Halse for ever." Kvery supporter wore a silk rosette of the same colour. On the other side of the street I had had erected ladies' hustings, for the accommodation of 200, surmounted at the centre and sides, by live flags (blue). \Y. King sent in a large awning from Brooklands, which covered in the whole concern; but the weather was so unfavourable that not more than 50 ladies were there; but yet they included the best in the place—the liichardsons, Kingdons, Govetts, Lcechs, Coopers, de Moles, etc. Ail in blue. The effect of our turnout was observable in tlit? rival candidates, and their proposers for their P pooches were execrable, and t hey looked like interlopers. Captain King, in proposing me, was well received. and never spoke better.

"\\ hen the show of hands was called for, the returning officer declared it to be in my favour, whereupon Messrs. Hulke and the Champions of Liberty be came furious—the former calling Flight a damned liar, for which he was immediately given in custody, and afterwards released, on an apology for his bad conduct. Wo returned to the ship; and at

AN OLD-TIME ELECTION IN TARANAKI four, sat down to dinner, between 90 and 100 of ue; the remainder, about 40, being compelled to go to the Taranaki, where dinner had been ordered for that number. At the ship, the company, being select, and comprising the best people of all classes, was very orderly. "Saturday was equally wet, but by great exertions we got in nearly all our men who did not remain in town on the previous night; and we headed the poll up to 11. But for Wickstead's trickery, in coalescing with Brown, I must have won, for 1 polled l.'tS. Eleven of those who had promised, left ine for tlie winning side. This, I hear, is always the case; and of the few who did not poll,

By J.C.

I commanded a fair proportion. At four we marched up to the hustings, when each candidate uttered his last dying speech. C. Brown was quite unequal to the occasion, and Wickstced had not the appearance of being sober. To complete tlie scene, C. Brown, who, during {he day, regaled his supporters at the 'Seven Stars,' and his lady, their wives, at the Store in Currie Street, stepped into a cart from the hustings, and sat himself in an armchair (that same hideous one manufactured by Gudgeon

for me, which I sold at a loss of £7)s and the cart, having a long rop# attached, "was whisked through the town by an excited and unselect band of free and independent electors; old Jordan standing behind the chair, drank and flourishing a stick over Brown't head; stopping opposite a thie' house, to hoot and groan. We, on the other hand, returned to the ship to lunch, and passed the evening in the best of spirits, Cntfield again in the chair, until nine, when the doors were burst in by £ drunken mob of Brown's supporters; and but for the character of our own a disgraceful day for Xew Plymouth must have ended badlv."

The defeated candidate philosophically made the best of it. lie was not downhearted.

"I have every reason," he continued in his letter, "to be satisfied that I saw the end of this election; though a hundred times I have regretted that I consented to put up for it. My position waa never so good, and the people could not have declared themselves more unequivocally in my favour; though throughout, I have quite understood it was the cause, not the individual, that gave the spirit to the election. Still, I was honoured, in being so intimately associated with the cause. The clergy, magistrates and leading people gave me their hearty support; and the wonder is' I did not win."

A final reflection for the benefit of the enemy. "Besides, there is every prospect of the Superintendent being ignominiously kicked out at •' tfie end of his term." A sobering thought that-ia as applicable to politics to-day as it w*« to the Taranaki elections in 1853.