LOCAL OPTION POLL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 5

LOCAL OPTION POLL.

;/:STATEMEN£ : E-YvTHE NEW ZEALAND ■" i ;;j.:^\j::''4'ALtlANCE,;: : :'.; J ';•::■>'.■:.'■:■; ,v The; followingjicircular'has beta' sent to/ the members.of both Houses of the Legislature by' the 'secretary.pf.'tbe Ne\y;Zealand Alliance:—'.;■.' •'■'. "The; executiveof; the ; Now /Zealand -Alliance for the.Suppression.of the Liqiior Traffic desire' to; tho - following ; facts which were revealed by .the last poll s~ .:;"ThoroiWaa a.majority, vote in the Dominion ; for No-License of 83.331—in. the North-: Island. 22,495; in .the South'lsland, 10,836.. Majorities Wore in every province save/Nelson and Westland, and in-GO electorates but of.tho 76,,0n1y.'15 voted a. majority for Continuanco and : ono; for: Restoration.-: Those rNo-Liconsel majorities varied from 2914 in Dtmodiri City, 2l4oAuokland City, 2093 Wellington Ctly, down to smaller numbers in tho 67 other electorates, Thirty had/eaoh majorities of 500 or over. ■ "Yet because l of the: injustice of/, the three, fifths: requirement, only six now electorates were allowed: to free themselves 'from ; the licensed liquor,-trnffiol. .The executive believe that 'if members/of: Parliament and all who havo .at heart the rial welfare of -the: people,' •realised/the full-extent of the unfair burden which is; imposed'upen the party of reform under existing legislative conditions; they would loyally support the just and domooratto : demand, thai the, majority-and not'a minority should: rule: both in electoral' and Dominion option; ■ '.- ! .'-.-". : "',-.-;! :■'-' ".:-. :'■'<•■ ' : ■ : :■■'.' ■'. "The'irksomenoss arid injustice of the. three, fifths demand is, strikingly illustrated 'in tho Ashburton electorate, tfhere there Is a majority vote for Restoration while No-License prevails. For example,, tho party which in 1908 cast 3085 Votos" in Ashburton for Hestoration of license against' their: opponents '2636, thus having a majority of. 449,'. apparently needed: only ,147; additional, votes'to secure their object.. 'But,, if ...their opponents;'continued to obtain 2636: votes in successive polls : the", party voting for Restoration would ..have to secure' .869 additional votes before they attained: their object. That is to: say, whatever bo the number ob. tallied fihort .of/ajthree-fifths:, majority, an addition of wo; and a half times that number ".must be seaured before those voting for No-Licens<f: or Restoration, as the case may be, ensure victory. The. executive of the alliance believe that this-faot is not realised by one per thousand of- those who maintain the justice of the demand. for a ■ three-fifths majority vote on; the licensing question. ,7 : "Yet the/position of the No-Licenso party in this' matter is immeasurably worse .than that of the Ashburton Hcstorationists,, inasmuch as tho Rostoratibnists, after securing their.: additional. BC9 votes would be snro of victory if the' non-resturatiori vote!remain at 203(1; butin a contest.between 'License and No-License, tho re-form-party, might win the requisite 869 voles against, opponents ;.wlio secured only 2630' and lose all the. benefit of their victory if one'additional voter cast a voto. for Reduction. '■ "The executive respectively express their.conviction that no':member.of tho present Parliament .would stand for re-election,- and that, no he wcuhdidates would, offer if these wore /the Conditions uridet which they hud, to win a seat. .They urge,;, therefore, that the Bill; how before tho 'House' of Parliament may receive your careful, consideration': and support." :....■ .: ' ■■ .'-.