Christchurch.—About 18 per cent of Canterbury University students want an Australian racehorse as their next president.

But then, on the other hand, perhaps they really want Ross Pedder, a member of the Otago University student executive, to fill the position It is not known whether Mr. Pedder has ever set Foot on the Canterbury campus, but it is almost certain that his popularity here will come as a complete surprise to him.

But no one will really know, for all the votes for third candidate "Nigel Conrad" were classed as informal in Canterbury's presidential election this week.

The present vice-president (Mr. Paul Harper) won the election with 761 votes, about 52 per cent of the vote. Nick Bullock, a former VUWSA executive member and in 1965 an unsuccessful presidential candidate here, look 450 votes or 30 per cent of the poll. But 250 of the total 1461 votes cast were informal.

But just who was Nigel Conrad?

It all started when a group of students decided they didn't like either of the two official candidates and proposed a write-in candidate, complete with policy. The only problem—he didn't exist.

(Five years earlier. Austin Mitchell tried to enter his dog in the Otago University presidential elections—but failed.)