The Press. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1875.

Press, Volume XXIV, Issue 3217, 22 December 1875, Page 2

The Press. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1875.

The results of yesterday's elections must, all things considered, be deemed very satisfactory. In Christchurch Mr. Stevens was, as every one expected, at the head of the poll, and the Hon. E. Richardson a tolerable second, with a wide interval separating them from Mr. Moorhouse, the third successful candidate. The number of votes polled by Mr Stevens —1059, was extraordinarily large. The feeling in favor of his return was evidently universal. Indeed, of all the ballot-paDers received during the day there could have been very few, if any, on which his name was not included. Mr. Richardson, though 67 votes below Mr. Stevens, yet so completely distanced all other competitors that practically these two candidates may be classed together. He gained 992 votes, winning the second seat by a majority of no less than 370. It is worth while to compare these numbers with those recorded on the previous day in Dunedin, when, after what appears to the three successful candidates, Mr. Macandrew, Mr. Stout, and Mr. Larnach, were returned by, respectively, 891, 865, and 843 votes. Mr. Stevens, it will be seen, polled 168 more votes in Christchurch than Mr. Macandrew did in Dunedin, and Mr. Richardson 101 more. We are justified in regarding them as returned to "represent the Christchurch district in accordance with the deliberate and unanimous wieh of the constituency. The only contest lay between Mr Moorhouse and Mr Andrews for the third place. Mr. Andrews, as a resident in Christchurch, appealed to the " local" feeling, and be had the advantage of a long start in his canvassing. Mr. Moorhouse, on the other hand, though very late in making his appearance, was sustained by his old associations with Canterbury, and by the recollection of services formerly rendered to the province, which is of itself enough to secure him a large measure of support. His intellectual superiority to bis rival, and his long experience in public affairs (a field in which the other candidate had everything to learn) no doubt operated powerfully in his favor. Although Mr. Andrews' friends, we believe, were confident, Mr. Moorhouse came in ahead by 90 votes. As we have observed, however-, there was a marked difference in the number of votes polled for these two candidates as compared with those given for the first two. Instead of 1059 and 992, Mr. Moorhouse and Mr. Andrews got only 622 and 532. In other words Mr Moorhouse polled a proportion less than 64 per cent, of the votes recorded for Mr. Richardson, while Mr Andrews only just succeeded in getting half as many as Mr. Stevens. It is evident that a considerable number of electors found no third candidate whom they could support, and preferred therefore to vote for but two. Of the remaining candidates we need aay nothing. Mr. Wakefield obtained more votes than was expected—about 15 per cent as compared with Mr Andrews; and Mr Treadwell found 21 electors besides himself to join in carrying on a candidature which appears to have been entered into in a spirit of burlesque. Simultaneously with the election for Christchurch, another, in which also a Minister was concerned, was going on in Kaiapoi. The Hon. Mr. Bowen beat Mr. Beswick by 41, the numbers being 336 to 295. The majority is a very respectable one, though the result must must have been somewhat disappointing to Mr Bowen's more enthusiastic supporters, who had anticicipated a grand triumph. We understand that there were certain local influences, unconnected with politics, which were worked in favor of Mr. Beswick. However, the election was gained, which is the great thing. These two successes make up for the Ministerial defeat with which the elections opened. Ministers have lost Mr Keynolds, whose Dunedin constituents have at last deserted him. But even ,f Mr Reynolds finds no other seat, he was, politically speaking, the

one of their number whom they could best afford lose; and with this single exception, they seem secure. Mr Richardson and Mr Bowen are already returned; and we suppose Sir D. M'Lean and Major Atkinson are safe at Napier and Egmont.