WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 1004, 25 February 1871, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

(feom our own correspondent.)

Wellington, February 14th.

The result of the city election has been to srfd two more to the list of Government supporters in the new House, for Messrs Pearce and Hunter are out and out Vogelites. The contest was a very close one, and each party did its utmost;. The successful candidates, however, were backed up by all the moneyed interest of the town, and they won it, I believe, entirely through the fact of having more money than their opponents. Nearly fifty votes were brought in from the Wairarapa and other country districts, some of them at very great expense, and most of them men whose names should have been struck off the roll years ago as having ceased to possess any qualification. Every one of these men were industriously looked up, and most of them were quite willing to give a vote in return for a free trip to town and back. In fact, neither expense, trouble, nor influence was spared by the successful party to achieve the success which rewarded their exertions ; and although it is said that all is fair in love, war, and politics, some of the means resorted to to injure the popular candidates were by no means creditable to those using them. I must, however, do the candidates themselves the justice to say that I do not think they countenanced any unfair proceedings. At the prinoipal polling place, the Court-house, Messrs Richmond and Travers had a considerable majority j but at the other polling place the numbers were reversed — the majority, in fact, almost the whole of the votes recorded, being for Messrs Hunter and Pearce — a remarkable fact, accounted for by saying that the polling place in question waa Mr Hunterß own store. There he and his friends kept guard the whole day, and certainly managed to work the oracle in a variety of ways. Rumours of treating and bribery have been current ever since, but I doubt whether there is anything in them, and am pretty certain that if even wellfounded, proof is not forthcoming. There is no doubt, however, that at least one gross irregularity was committed in this as in the Hutt and Country Districts elections, and that under the extraordinary provisions of the Ballot Act, an Order in Council will be required to validate these elections. The voting papers were not in the form prescribed by the Act, inasmuoh as they had not on them a single word of the "instructions " given in the sixth schedule. The result of these Instructions not being on the papers was that Borne fourteen or sixteen electors left three names on the papers un scratched out, evidently believing that Wellington still returned three members. Nearly all these votes were for Borlase, Richmond, and Travers, and of course they were all lost. Under ordinary circumstances, such an error would vitiate an election, but the Ballot Act gives the Governor-in-Council power to over-ride Its own provisions and validate any mistake of the Returning Officers, even though that mistake did, as it is quite possible it did in the present case, affect the result. As the members elected are Government supporters, of course the requhed order will be forthcoming. The defeated party, although beaten, is by no means dispirited, and the result is likely to be the formation of a permanent body pledged to maintain the principles on which Messrs Richmond and Travers have fought. Every effort will also be made to purge the electoral roll of those wbo have no right to have their names on it, and to place on it the names of all who are qualified. There must be at least four Tiundred qualified, but unregistered, persons in the city.

The Swedish immigrants were kept carefully on board the Celaeno, out in the stream, uatil the election was over. The morning after they were landed. They are almost all young married couples, with one or two children, and are a healthy, sturdy lot of people. Some are to be sent to Napier, some to Nelson, and some to the Manawatu. A number of the latter left for that place in the Luna yesterday. After providing themselves with house accommodation, they are, I believe, to be employed by the Government in. making a tramway from the township of Maitou, Rangitikei, to that of Foxton, at the mouth of the Manawatu river. By-the-bye, a new township, named Crofton, ha* just been laid out in Rangitikei, on the private property of the Premier. It ia laid out in quarter-acre sections, and the alternate allotments are to be given away on certain terms. These are, that a two-roomed weather-boarded house, with brick chimney, is to be erected on each. Thro, on entering into a covenant not to deal in any way in alcoholic liquors, a lease for 999 years at a peppercorn rent will be executed. This lease is to be forfeited on violation of the teetotal stipulation. The remaining seo-

tions are to be sold from time to time on similar conditions. So you see we are to have a little State of Maine established in our midst. How the experiment will answer is doubtful, but a good many people imagine the result will somewhat resemble that attending the township of Eden, as related in Martin Chuzzlewit. Mr Gawler, the gentleman who was brought down from South Australia to teach Mr Moorhouse how to work the Land Transfer Act, takes his departure per Alhambra to-day, having, I suppose, completed his work of tuition, audhaviug most certainly pocketed his five guineas per diem, and travelling expenses. As yet I believe that not a single application under the Act has been received at the Wellington office. The news received from Auckland regarding Mr Branigan's unfortunate sunstroke has caused sincere regret amongst all classes of the community here. Even those most opposed to the system which Mr Branigan was called on to initiate have always admitted the ability and energy of the man. He has also made many personal friends during his residence here, and all must deplore the unfortunate fate which has overtaken him. The Independent at first suppressed the news altogether, and has since made light of it ; but the general idea is, that even if Mr Branigan should recover health and reason, it would in the > present critical aspeot of Native affairs scarcely do to allow him to retain the command of our defensive force. Speculation Is accordingly rife as to who is likely to be his successor, and the names of Colonel Lyon and Colonel Moule are freely mentioned. The idea which finds most favour is, however, that Colonel Harington will obtain the command, and that Colonel Reader, who now commands this district will succeed him as Inspector of Militia and Volunteers, an office for which he is very well qualified. That expensive Government toy the Luna is to leave here on Friday for your port and the Bluff to pick up the competitors for the rifle contest in Auckland. The Luna is to leave this on the 26th for the North, and will, on her way up, call at Picton, Nelson, Wanganui, and Taranaki, to pick up the representatives from thoae places. With regard to the manner in which the representatives have this year been chosen, there is a good deal of grumbling amongst the town men, who think that they have not been quite fairly used by Col. Reader. The whole of the Company representatives met at the town butts to fire off for choice of district representatives, and after one or two postponements, owing to bad weather, completed their firing, the result being that out of the 18 company representatives only two, Messrs Crray and Gillon, qualified. Some time afterwards it was announced that as the country company representatives had been required to fire at the town range, they should be allowed to fire again at their own respective ranges in order to try and complete the number of district representatives. On this the unsuccessful representatives of town companies said that the country men having hod a chance in the town range, they should be placed on an equality by being allowed to compete again at one of the country ranges. This was refused, and the country men fired over again amongst thb&islves, but again failed to -qualify any man. The town representatives are not unnaturally annoyed at the country men being given two chances while they had only one. In the Hutt district, where all the company representatives met fit one range, no one qualified for Auckland, but since that the various companies have fired over again at their own ranges, and now the district has its full number of three representatives. For some unknown reason our Provincial Council, which was adjourned for some six or seven weeks to await the return of Dr Featherßton, has since been twice prorogued by proclamation, and is not now to meet until the 3rd of next month. It is understood that the Doctor and his advisers are endeavouring to devise some measure for the bolstering up of the Provincial system of Government, , but it will have to be a very cunningly devised scheme indeed if it finds acceptance with either the Council or the country. There is not very much interest displayed in the question of who is to be our next Superintendent, but the names of one or two gentlemen have been mentioned. The first is Mr Fitzherbert. Dr Featherston, it is said, is using every possible means to induce the second of the three F.s to become his successor, but it is at least doubtful whether Mr Fitzherbert will care about undertaking what must be a most difficult and thankless task, the charge of an insolvent province. The other name 1b that of Mr Revans, an old Wairarapa settler, and a man of considerable ability. He has not for some years taken any active part in politics, but it is said that he now aspires to the Superintendency. If Mr Fitzher-

bert would accept the office, he would be elected before ail comers. Some idea of tfie hopeless state of the province may be gathered from one fact which I learned on good authority the other day. There are in the province 520,000 acres of land sold, and for which Crown grants are now due, but of course cannot be given until the land is surveyed. With an absolutely empty chest, living from hand to hand upon a toll-gate and the charity of the General Government, the Province is not very likely soon to be able to undertake the survey of auoh a quantity of land as this.