MAORI LIQUOR POLLS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1291, 21 November 1911, Page 4

MAORI LIQUOR POLLS.

APPARENT DEFECT IN THE LAW. Tho Gisborno "Times" draws attention, not for the .first time,'to what appears to bo a defect in tho law relating to tho forthcoming .Maori polls on tho liquor question. "If," says Sub-Section 5 of 4G or the Licensing Amendment Act, 1010, "the result of tho poll is that 'a majority of the electors' are in favour of the propose.) that liquor shall not be supplied to Natives in the district, then on the expiry of one month after the declaration of the result of the poll, every person (whether a licensed person or not) who in any such district (whether on licensed premises or not) supplied liquor to any Native, shall lie liable to a fine not csctcding one hundred pounds." It was pointed out (says the "Times") that if tho clause had provided that the decision should rest with "a majority of tho voters" it would be easy to understand the position. As it was, however, it would seem that the matter was to be settled by "a majority of tho electors," which was an impossibility in view of tho fact that there is no roll of all tho Nat ives who are cligiblo to vote on tho occasion of such a noil. Only recently, it would appear, tho Hon. * Sir James Carroll was requested to get an official interpretation of this particular section of the law. Ho has now informed tho parties most interested in the poll that tho Solicitor-General has advised him that tho words "a majority of tho electors" must bo read to mean "a majority of the votes polled." No doubt such was tho intention of tho legislature, but, with all due respect to such an eminent legal authoritv as tho Solici-tor-General, wo should bo very much surprised if his interpretation " of the clause wero adopted by tho law courts. When attention was first directed to tho matter, there was umplo time to got passed this year aa amendment which would have clearly expressed the intention of Parliament. It will Ixs a pity if it now proves tho case that any such poll has merely represented so much time and money wasted.