WAIPORT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 25

WAIPORT.

April 18.— On Wednesday, 14th insfc., a poll was taken for the election of a member of the Tuapeka County Council for this ridine. Local elections are usually unimportant events, but frrsm certain circumstances this one has aroused the attention of the outride public to ;l considerable extent, besides exciting no small amount of paity feeling amongst ourselves. Last December, when the ordinary county ejections were held, Mr R. Cotton defeated the sitting member (Mr Knight) by a majority of one, and was declared elected. Mr Cotton wa* in turn unseated ou petition in the Magistrate's Court, and the rival candidate elected by the casting vote of the returning officer. This m-ocedure was upriet by a mandamus of the Supreme Court, and a fresh election ordered. The upshot of all these complications is, as disclosed by the ballot box on Wednesday last, that Mr Cot"on has obtained the coveted seat by a majority of 11 votes, the exact result of the poll being Cotton 78, Knight 07. It i* fortunate for all lovers of peace and qui->tneps that the maj >iity was a fairly substantial one, for had the number Ibeen closer the losing party were fully prepared to question at law the legality of certain votes on the other sine. Thry claim, too, that they have a clear majority of supporters in the tov/nof Waipori and the immediate vicinity, and that their defeat is clearly due to the plural votes of a number of 'quatters who have no interest whatever in the ridiner, ai d are, moreover, not even resident in the Tuapeka County. The issues of the contest were further complicated by a long standing feud between Mr Cotton and the minerson the subject of the commonage, Mr Cotton having strenuously opposed thesetting apart of some3ooo acres of grazing land fur communal purposes. In fact, the whole affair hah been a most disagreeable exhibition of personal animosity and class hatred, which will smoulder iv the minds of both parties until the next election, when it will probably break out with renewed violence. It was a remarkable coincidence that on the very day of his defeat Mr Knight the late member, leceiyed a telegram from the Government that his efforts to obtain a grant for the further improvement of the Lawrence- Waipori road were successful, and that a sum of £500 was placed to the credit of the county fuuds for that purpose. It is to be hoped that his successor will set about having this money expended judiciously and as promptly as may be found practicable, and thus allay to some extent the local feeling against him.