COUNTY ELECTIONS.

Southland Times, Issue 2634, 23 December 1876, Page 2

COUNTY ELECTIONS.

ATVABr/AriflDING-. The polling for the .contested seats in the Southland County Council took place on Friday, and with regard to the Awarua Riding, the candidates for which were Messrs J. W. Mitchell and A. .Kinross, it was apparent throughout the day that the public of Invercargill took considerable interest in the result. Several , cabs paraded the streets during the day in the interest of the popular candidate, Mr Mitchell, and there were other signs of electioneering activity on both sides. The poll was kept open till six in the evening, and at 20 minutes to seven Mr A. C. Henderson, Eeturning Officer, declared the result to be for Mitchell, 173, and for Kinross, 89 votes. Both candidates' addressed those assembled briefly. Mr Mitchell begged to accord his sincere thanks to the electors for the position in which they had placed him. He waa quite aware that the result at the other polling booths was notyet known, and it -was possible that the position of the candidates might yet be reversed. But however that might be, it was extremely gratifying that the majority of the electors in the place where he was best known had voted for him, and as he had expressed in his published address the object of his candidature to be, that the Counties Act should get a fair trial, he regarded his position on the poll as signifying that the wish of the majority of the community was the same as his own in that respect. (Hear, hear). Ifc showed that the community was not with those who might enter the County Council with feelings of prejudice because the Act had been carried against the wish of the minority in the late session of Parliament. Mr Kinross supposed that he occupied the position of the defeated candidate, but he added that that did not distress him much, as he had become accustomed to the ups and downs of life. He agreed with Mr Mitchell, that any one entering the County Council should do so with an earnest desire to comply, to the best of his ability, with the provisions of the law, and that had been and was his own intention. He maintained that tho recent constitutional changes had been for the worse, but still he was ready to carry out the law aa it had been enacted. Mr Kinross remarked that his own ideas concerning elections were in advance of the age, and he did not believe in the employment of vehicles or in soliciting electors to vote, although he was not then condemning others for pursuing such a course. In so far as he was concerned the present election had been conducted in a thoroughly independent manner, and those who had voted for him had done so of their own will, and because they doubtless believed him to be the most suitable candidate. Before concluding he would say that there had been no ill-feeling, no animosity manifested in the election, and that waa well, for he did not see why political opposition should interfere with private friendships. All he hoped was that the election might result in benefit to the district. A vote of thanks waa then accorded to the Returning Officer, on the motion of Mr Mitchell, seconded by Mr Kinross. At a quarter past seven the Returning Officer made an informal declaration that the poll at Waikiwi had resulted in 12 votes for Mitchell, aud 19 for Kinross ; at Campbelltown, 24 for iVliochell, and 1 for Kinross. There were some informal votes, but the majority for Mr Mitchell at present stands .at 100