OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 349, 12 January 1876, Page 3

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

(teom otje own corbbkpondeht.) Auckland, 7th January, 18^6. The progress of the elections excites the most unbounded interest in Auckland. As each telegram is received from afar giving the result of a poll there ia eager discussion as to which party the successful candidate will favor, while our local contests have an absorbing effect. We have had another close fight in the Eden election. There were originally three candidates for this district, namely, Hugh Oarleton, Allan K. Taylor, aud J. A. Tole. The first-named, as you know, is a very old stager, having Bat in Parliament for the Northern distHCs for si venteen years. Ho ia chiefly famous for his pedantry, which is abominable, and for being Vice-Chancellor of the New Zealand University, (ho mention of which office at any public meeting invariably raises a laugh. Mr Carleton has acted very curiously in this election. He is well known to have a dislike for Sir George Grey, and yet when he came out he announced himself as w^h him on all important points. He was not believed in, however, and the Central Committee who have been working for Grey ia Auckland would not accept him as the Grey candidate. At the nomination he had three hands held up for him, and the day after he and strange to say resigned in favor of the Government candidate. Mr Carleton'e a .t ions all through the business hare been very mysterioue, and people are at a loss to aeo. unt for them. Well then, Tole and Taylor were left, to fight it out, and a capital fight it tur/iei o.t. Yesterday was the polling day, and Newmarket, which is the central polling place of the district, was all astir. Every one of Quick's and Crowther's carriages were engaged from early morning, and the state of excitement in which everybody moved about presented a marked contrast to the apathy which generally distinguishes voting by ballot. I Within an hour of the closing of the poll the Star carrier pigeons brought us in- the results from the Whau and Panmure, and-, these added to the Newmarket totals gave Tole a majority of 51, We have in this election an il ustration of the policy of following a popular idol. Mr Tole has only been before the electors about a fortnight,, whi'e Mr Taylor, who is a large landed proprietor in the district, has been eight months canvassing. The whole burden of Tole'a- speeches has been, "lam the accredited representative of Sir George Grey ; his views are mine, and I will follow him wherever he goes and in whatever he does." And this waß quite sufficient to secure his election. The illustration is the more forcible i«- this case because Tole is a man ■yho has no single personal recommeudation to public favor. lie is only about 26 yeara old, has a very boyish appearance, but in manner is very- precocious for bis age and size. His legal education makes him fairly self'possessed while speaking, but there is nothing very striking in his eloquence. The Daily Southern Gross etill keeps up the battle of the Ministry, but I am afrail it is a losing game for them, just now in Auckland. The editor this morn* ing remarks upon the feature in Tole'e election which I have commented on. He says : — " It is that marvellous worship of a man whose position and mere eloquence have captivated a number of his fellows, that secured the return of a Bees for City East and a Tole for- Eden. Judged on their merits, and their principle's, such as they expressed, these candidates could not have been returned but) for fh» foot that t'»ey were followers of and supported by the influence of Sir George drey."* As you will have heard by .telegram Sir Goorge. haa bean returned nt the head of the poll at; the Thames, with Billy Bo we second -and Julius Yogel third. The Cross maintains that the election is illegal, Sir George having' been not only nomiuated but elected for another diet riot. In support of this view a telegram has been received from Wellington which states that a competent authority has determined against the legality of the double. .election. Mr Whitaker's return for, the. Waikato cannot bufc be looked upon.ns a benefit to the. colony. * [We quite endorse, the above remarks of tUe Southern, C ! iWff;~ED,.B.P,T.]

both by the Centralists and Provincialiatfl. The election of such men U one of the benc floial results of the recent stir in public affaire. Mr Whitaker has sketched out a plain prac fcical programme, and his address at the flection last- Wednesday was the most sensible we hard- Jtst had submitted. After saying that ten years^agohe was in favor of Separation, a refocowrcß which lie does not thirik is now either expedient or even possible, ho goes * on :— c "lh><fe Wfta biit I us com se— that which he had already efretched — one. Government in New Zealand — one Legislative body — one Executive — one Purse. _Tl*e question? -how* ever, arose, was the Government to be com > ducted as novr, or were we to -hare- reforma-'---tion ? The luiter, certainly. We needed reform in Purlianienfi, in Finance, and" in" Administration. He would endeavour to Beo** this carried out. There was getting to be an excess of members in the House. He believed* the number should be reduced to sixty. To reduce the number would be a saving of talk, time, and money, as members had to be paid. He woul'3 be prepared to vote for a redistribution of seats every three years, and on some settled basis of population, to save the un« seemly scrambling whioh disgraced the last few days of the last session." Mr Whitaker alao advocated a colonial secular system of eduoation. Mr Keyburn lias retired from the contest at Marsden, and Sir Robert Douglas had a large majority at the show of hands on Tuesday. He is a strong advocate of the Opposition, 'i he contest will be between Sir r Kobert and Mr Monro. The Bodney nomination hns not yet come off; Mr Sheeban hop ■ gone down to the district. At the Bay < £-'? Islands Lundon gained the show of hands. He is another Greyite: The Criminal Sessions began last Monday. The greatest interest was concentrated in the charges of murder against Mrs Wall, who chopped her children to pieces in Grahamstown, and against Mrs Miller alias Mrs Heath, who jumped into the harbour with her child tied to her, with the intention of destroying both herself and her offspring. Both woman have been acquitted on the score of insaaity, Judge Gillies commented on the unsatisfactory state of the law in relation to insanity, and his remarks will be universally endorsed. The charge of indecent assault against W. Kirby was heard on Thursday, and the Court was densely crowded on the occasion. The evidence was the same on all material potato • A3 that produced in the Police Court, with the exception that a new witness wob caller 1 ,.,. one Annie Mco c who deposed to hearing the altercation between Kirby and Bain after the latter had come out of the cheffonier. Tfao - jury were in consultation for two hours before • they could agree upon a verdict, whioh waa that defendant was guilty, but was entitled to mercy on account of the affair being. in their opinion preconcerted. The judge, inpassing the lenient sentence of nine months" imprisonment, rather quaintly-observed tb-afc" Kirby's fate would be a warning to other men not to look on pastures not their own lest they * fell into traps. Our Summer Raoe Meeting came off on Saturday and Monday, and was successful as far as weather and attendance were concerned.): . The sport was only mediocre. The best rac.es-^. baing the jumping contest, viz., the Hurdle ■- Eice, which was won by the game southern mare Medora, and the Steeplechase, which went lo Auckland Kale. In the Hurdle Bace thcro was not a single refusal, while every horse finished in the steeplechase ; facts which speak in favor of the quality of the animals < engaged. The Cup was a groat surprise. Everyone thought Guy Fawkes or Cocksure was sure to win, but Mr Walters' old crack Kingfisher camo to the rescue and saved the prize going away to Nelson. The overnight handicaps for the second day collapsed altogether. Owners here are very chary of running their animals unless they Bee a par* txularly good thing sticking out, and in this instance they scratched all but two in eaoh race. Add to this that one of the two in each race bolted, an 3 you see the contests wete not quite worth the £240 which they cost. We have the Taranaki cricketers playing., here at present. They arrived last Saturday - nnminp, and on Monday played the Auckland - Cricket Olub on (he Ellerslie ground while • the races were going on round them. The foreigners began well by giving the Auckland men a great hammering, scoring 157 to their 61. Yesterday they played the Auckland. United and the- order was reversed, for while • Taranaki made only 27 in their firgt innings, the United put together 128. To-day they ' are playing the North Shore Club. 'J hey go back on Tuesday next by the Taupo.