Maoris Given Vote At Licensing Polls

Chronicle (Levin), 23 September 1949, Page 3

Maoris Given Vote At Licensing Polls

WELLINGTON, Sept. 22. , Maori electors will have the right in. future to vote in a general licensing poll. Provision for this is made in the Licensing Amendment Bill introduced and read a first time in the House of Representatives today. The general licensing poli is taken on the day of the General Election. The Bill states that - .such a poll 'is to be taken in Maori eleetoral districts as well as in licensing distriets. The voting paper given to an elector of a Maori eleetoral district shall be printed bfth in English and the Maori language. A general licensing poll shall be taken in the mam ner prescribed by the Eleetoral Act for the taking of an eleetoral poll. The eleetoral rolls for the time being in., force shall be deemed to be the rolls of the electors for the purposes of the licensing poll. At local restoration polls in no-lieence distriets, ther'e shall be two issues submitted to electors. The first will be whether lieences shall be restored in that district. There will also be a further issue whether, if the proposal for restoration of lieences is ear'ried, a local trust shall be established to conduet hotels and sell intoxicating liquor in the district. These two questions will bo submitted in seperate voting papers instead of on one as in recent special licensing polls in Ashburton and Geraldine. The Minister of Justice, Mr Mason/, said that with the two issues on bailot. papers the number of informal votes had been quite extraordmary. This seemed to be due to the combination of the two issues on one paper and provision had therefore been made for separate bailot papers for eaeh issue. A three-fifths majority is required to carry restoration but the trust issue is decided on a bare majority. A decision in favour of restoration shall become efL'ective three months after the poli.