WAIRARAPA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3107, 26 January 1871, Page 3

WAIRARAPA.

[Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.] the coming election. To-day (Monday) the nomination of candidates for the two seats for this district, will take place at Featherston, and the poll, if necessary, will be taken on Saturday next. If each elector had only one, instead of two votes, and one half of those on the roll went to the poll, the number of votes given for each candidate would probably be as follows: —Bunny, 150; Andrew, 100; Pharazyn, 0 : total, 250 ; but as each elector has two votes, and as it is not probable the advice of Bunny and Andrew, that their friends should plump for them, will be generally adopted, it is just possible that the least popular of the three candidates may be returned at the head of the poll. Suppose one hundred out of Mr Bunny's, and seventy-five out of MiAndrew's supporters, voted for Mr Pharazyu, the latter might be returned by a majority oi twenty-five above either of his opponents. Or suppose that Mr Andrew's friends followed his advice and plumped for him, while only fifty of Mr Bunny's friends did so, the remaining one hundred voting also for Mr Andrew, the result of the poll would be — Andrew, 200 ; Bunny, 150. Such a result could not be obtained if Mr Bunny had- a colleague, or if the electors were really divided, as in England, and in every other country having representative institutions, into two distinct and well defined parties ; and it is questionable whether Parliamentary Government can be worked satisfactorily until this shall be the case, as only one lialf of the electors on the roll may be thought a very low estimate of the number who will go to the poll on tbe present occasion, and as a statement of the figures and process by which this result is arrived at must prove just now very interesting, I will explain the matter more at length than would at another time te necessary. As a rule, neither in England, in the United Stutes, nor in France, where parties are well divided and denned, have more than 70 per cent of the qualified voters gone to the poll, even at the most exciting of elections ; and in no case, under the most favorable circumstances, has the electoral barometer risen higher than 75 in 100. If, therefore, the number of absentees on the roll for this district is also deducted, it will be seen that 50 per cent of the total number on the roll is rather a high than a low estimate of the number who will vote at the coming elections. PEARGE y. PHARAZYN. I find that the hot coutest for the Wellington seats which is now going on is of such absorbing interest to your town readers that our contest here will be likely to have no interest at all in their eyes, but as what I am going to relate has some reference to one ol your city candidates, it may obtain at least amongst some of them a passing notice. Since my last reference to the dispute between the Hon. Mr Waterhouse and Mr C. Pharazyn, the latter has published a column and a half advertisement relative to the matter, and he has also issued 500 copies of a circular relating to the same subject, which contains likewise a furnished copy of his speech alleged to have been delivered at Masterton. It will be recollected that Mr G. M. Waterhouse charged Mr C. Pharazyn at the Masterton meeting with having applied to Mr Pearce for a telegram, which was to be made public, on its receipt, but which he did not publish, but in its place made the statement that Mr Pearce would under no circumstances whatever stand for the Wairarapa. The telegram Mr Pharazyn received from Mr Pearce left the matter in precisely the unsatisfactory state the former found it, but he placed such an interpretation upon it as ■would causa the supporters of Mr Pearce to support the candidature of Mr Pharazyn in his stead. In the opinion of Mr Waterhouse such conduct was highly reprehensible. In the opinion of Mr Pharazyn, this attempt of Mr Waterhouse to bring a serious charge against him was so disgraceful as to demand a public apology, and so the matter would at present rest, if the former gentleman did not wish (drowning men will catch at straws) to make political capital out of it. The main facts are not disputed. Mr Pharazyn found that Mr Pearce's supporters were determined to vole for him, notwithstanding thai he had retired from the contest, and he therefore telegraphed to Mr Pearce to know whether he would approve of this course, and informing him that he, Mr Pharazyn, and Mr Andrew would probably be returned if Mr Pearce would not consent to be put in nomination. Mr Pearce's reply was, in Mr Pharazyn's opinion, unsatisfactory, but he put an interpretation upon it which it appears the real facts would not warrant. This is the charge made by Mr Waterhouse against Mr Pharazyn, and which the latter gentlemen hopes will be the means of placing him in a high position on the day of the poll, the wish being without doubt father to the thought. As bearing on the city election it is my duly to state that Mr Pearce, next to Mr Bunny, had the largest number of supporters in this district, and in the Masterton and East Coast districts he had by far the largest number of supporters ; hence the anxiety of Mr. Pharazyn to get Mr Pearce finally and fairly out of the field and occupy his position himself. The mater is not without interest to city electors, but were this not the ease the the large number of subscribers you have in the Wairarapa would justify

your insertion of remarks which might prove of interest only to them. One thing appears- pretty clear from this correspondence, and it is this, that Mr Pharajzyn thought it was of more importance that the sheep tanning interest should be represented by the election of himself and Mr Andrew, than that the financial policy of the Ministry should be vigorously supported in the House by the election of Mr. Bunny, and he evidently thought that Mr Pearce would think so too. PACKING- THE BENCH. I stated some time ago that the Bench of Magistrates at Featherston had decided in the case of Lucas v. ; Jackson that the road rate levied by the Greytown Road Board was, in consequence of the Validation Act, illegal, and could not, therefore, be enforced. Subsequently, in. the case of Lucas v. Cotter, a Bench of Magistrates, also sitting at Featherston, decided that the said rate was legal, notwithstanding the Validation Act, and gave judgment accordingly. In the first case the large landowners opposed to the rate took care to have magistrates on the Bench favorable to their view of the question ; in the second case tbis*care was not shown, while one of the magistrates who decided j the case against the defendant was vir- > tually one of the plaintiffs in the action. Such a state of things is not as it should be, and I will venture to assert that the subject is one of more importance to the people than many of those now engrossing the attention of editors of newspapers and candidates for Parliamentary honors. THE GREYTOWN VOLUNTEERS. On last drill day Adjutant Cleland announced to the Rifle Volunteers that their captain, Mr A. K. Arnot, had sent in his res ; gnation. On the preceding drill day the question was asked when the men would have the balance of their capitation grant, when, I believe, the captain explained that there was no balance due to them, as it had all been absorbed in supplying uniforms to those new mem bers of the company who were not entitled to the capitation allowance. It was stated that the matter would be clearly explained next drill day. In the meantime, there has been much grumbling amongst some of the members of the company, On the ground that new uniforms should not have been supplied to those not entitled to them until they had been consulted, and thus the matter rests at present. DISTRICT PRIZE FIRING. The firing for the district prizes by the several rifle companies in the Wairarapa will take place at the commencement of the following month, but the season has been too busy a one to allow time for practice.