CITY MAYORALTY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3933, 25 November 1880, Page 3

CITY MAYORALTY.

DECLARATIOK OF THE POLL. At noon to-day thero waa a considerable gathering of citizens outside the Municipal buildings to hear the oflioial declaration of the poll for the civic chair. Precisely at 12 o'clock Mr G. L. Lee, who ■ "waited tor tho clock to strike," announcod I hat tho result of the polling of yesterday was (118 already published) Jumes Gapes, 558; Aaron Ayers, 439. He therefore declared James Gupea duly elected Mayor of Ohristchureh for the ensuing year. (Cheers, and three cheers more.) Mr James Gapes, who was accommodated with a chair as a rostrum, addressed the assembly of his fellow citizens to the following effect : — Ho had to return them his most sincere thanks for the honour which they had conferred upon him that day by electing him at the head of the poll to occupy the position of Mayor for tho ensuing year. [A voice: "Where else should you be?"] He certainly did feel that it was a very grear. honour indeed, and thought that they would allow that he had a right to feel it a great honour to have been elected twico by such a largo majority of his fellow citizens. (Cheers.) He had intended to contest this election as he had contestest that of last year, . on the principle of the ballot pure aud simple, but he had found that he had a very powerful enemy fco -deal with, and several of his friends had advised him to take aotion, telling him that if he did not he oould not expect his friends to act for him, and that he must do as others did. He had, therefore, called one or two friends together, and had set to work energetically. Ho must give them credit for working with ..power and force against so powerful an enemy. For his own part he would certainly like to see the day when it should be the law of the land that candidates should stand on their merits, and do away with the canvassing and begging ior votes which was the rule now at every election from those who wished to put their candidates in a position. He thought that if every candidate stood on hia own meritß, every man Btanding for election for the first time would conduct his private life so as to gain the respect of his fellows in the same community. (Applause.) When he became a public man he would so j act as to retain the confidence placed ih him. (Applause.) Then the publio business would be conducted better than it was. He was not speaking of municipal matters only, but of publio matters generally, whether in the j Municipal Chamber* or in the Houses of Par- j liament. He was, perhaps, going rather far in referring to a resolution in the House, which had been made for the reduction of the honorarium. He had noticed that ib wus contended that the honorarium was necessary on account of the enormous expense incurred by mombers when they had to re-appear before their constituents. They had to find all that money to enable them to get into Parliament again. This deterred many good men from coming forward, because they could not stand the enormous expenditure. (Applause.) He again thanked them for the honour they had. done him, and hoped that they would not think that he had travelled out of his way in the remarks he had made. He returned them his sincere thanks ior the mark of honour conferred upon him that day. (Cheers.^ Mr Ayers. (who was received with cheers said : Aslthey had very kindly listened attentively to the winning horse he hoped, that they would extend the same kindness to the losing horse. (Applause,.) He thought that he could say that those who had beaten him had sympathised with him. (Applause.) He thanked, very heartily those who voted for him, and ho thought Mr Gapes would tell them that nought but the most friendly feeling had continued to exist between them. [Mr Gapes : Hear, hear.] There had been squibs issued to which he would not have referred but that one contained a gross untruth — that ho had made a present of a bouquet of flowers to a certain venerable gentleman. (Laughter.) They might fancy — (renewed laughter and.interruption.) He did not care how much they laughed, ho could bear ridicule and could take a licking as well as anybody. .(Cheers.) He simply said that the statement, whioh had .gained very great currency and which he had no doubt,' as he would not hesitate to-say, had lost him his olection, was the grossest untruth possible. (Applause.) Poor man as he was he would give £50 to any individual to dispose of as he pleased by giving it for a charitable purpose or .in any other way, if he would prove it. [A voice, "I will give anothor £50. "J His friend said he would give another £50. (Applause.) He was sure that nobody could claim the money that he would give another £50 himself. (Applause.) It waa their duty to review tbe weak side of a man's public character and to .hold it up aa they pleased, but it was no man's right to lie, and. he challenged any one to prove the truth of the assertion whieh had been made. [A voice, " I am very glad that you have not been elected."] He knew plenty of others like the speaker, bufc who were nofc quite bo good looking. | (Laughter.) There was another thing he would like to refer to. It had been aaserted in the Globe newspaper, whether in a correspondent's letter or in a leading article he could not say, it was much the same thing. — (laughter) — that he had been the Chairman of the Finance Committee, and the cause of the issuing of all the summonses which had been issued this season in the hard times. [A voice : "It was contradicted in the-flW."] He was pleased to see that one of tbe membsrs of the Finance Committee had had the courage to Btate in the Press that he. (Mr Ayers) had not been in the Finance Committee for 12 months. (Applause.) He asked thein, was it fair to tell gross untruths? [A voice: " Why did not Cuff issue a summons aguinst Haskins? He has not paid his rates."] (Laughter.) Ho (Mr Ayers) could not answer that question, the gentleman must ask Mr Cuff, who was Quito capable of doing so. He would not keep them any longer. He thanked them very heartily, and would remind them that ho was no coward. When he had been previously defeated, he had told them that he would como again, and he had j succeeded. He thought he might again contest ! the mayoralty. Ha had already asked them twice, perhaps they would elect him the third timo. of ,S3king. ("No," and oheers.) He would now move a voto of ' thanks to the Returning Officer, who was a thoroughly ablo . man (no), and who, he hoped would be better , placed next year. (Applause). Mr Gapes seconded the vote of thanks. He quite agreed with the last speaker tbat proper aocomu odition should be found at elections. He wished to say emphatically and conscientiously that neither he nor his Committee, tad had ap£-thin» to do with those squibs to which allusion had been made (Mr Aj era : Hear.) One had been brought into his Committee, and he had been asked to stick it up there, but ho refused to allow it, and ho was quite ture that hie Committee would not permit anything of iho kind. (Applause and laughter.) At thus stage throe cheers wero given for Mr •Gapes, three for Mr Ayers, and three for tlio ;!Eeturning Officer. Mr G. Lt. Leo, after some hesitation a9 to the stability of the improvised rostrum, mounted, it and addresced those present to the following effect : — Ho did want to gay a word or two. He was much obliged to them for their vote of thanks. Tharo had been some comment about thero E3t being sufficient accommodation for the .carrying out of thi .election. Ho might say thefc if thero wua any blame to bs attached to any ono he must take it for hicaself, because ho had received, and had always from the City Council, perfect liberty to make any arrangements which he thought Si". A< tharo wero only two candidatee, he had thought; that tdiere was sufficient accommodation. Under <jrdirrury circumstaaces tbe arrangements would havo been amply eufttoient, ibutUhero '.had been an immenso number more voters than ha- 4 - been anticipated. He might fiy that he did not know whero tho accommodation had failod. A ► tream of voters had passed through all e'.ay long, and there had beon no hiteh except in one or two instances where voters thought fit to conteat the decision bo had given. Whilst on that .subject he might eay that many people imagined that they might act as thoy ploated white in tho polling booth. They could not make a greater mistake, for the Act spoke I most distinctly as to fcho duties of tho votei-3 j and of tho .Returning Officers. He had endeavouicd to carry them oufc t tritely, and hoped that voters would see that it yy*»j for tiioirintcrcbt.—- ''t did nr-b signify to him— ihat every thing should bo t.-vrrif-d out mi}}, regularity, (Appl'iuae.) Thi? conclude:! tho busine?*.