LICENSING POLL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 73, 19 December 1919, Page 8

LICENSING POLL

THE ISSUE IN DOUBT SLIGHT ADVANTAGE FOR CONTINUANCE MANY VOTES TO COME Tilio result of the national licensing pell taken on _ Wednesday is not yet Known. The official figures available last night (subject to slight additions in r, tew cases) dealt wiWi all but four of the licensing districts, and gives the following tutals:— Continuanco 217,101 State Purchase 28,737 Prohibition 214.308 Majority against Prohibition, 1590. The districts from which official returns 'had not been received last night were

Waitemata, Hurumii, Bruce, and Kniapoi. Returns received by the New Zealand Alliance give Hie Prohibidiou total for these four electorates as 12,(100, and tho Continuance and State Control combined totnl as 12,-tU. These figures, added to the official totals, make it appear that the majority against Prohibition at present is 1-W4. But it seems likely thali there is an cr.ror in tlhe official figures from Waikato. The Alliance's report states that the Prohibition votes in Waikato numbered 4'2lG. The official report says il-10, but there is a discrepancy of approximately 1000 between the official totals of the licensing votes and tho/olcc. toral voles in Waikato. This discrepancy seems to confirm the Alliance figures. If tihe correction is made, the majority against Prohibition is reduced to 101. Tho votes of over 2000 soldiers have still to bo counted, and there are about 1.900 eeariien's permits and 10,000 absent voters' permits on issue. Tho soldiers includo 1373 men at and about 700 men in England and Samoa. The votes cast by seamen and''absent voters will 1» counted when the official counts are taken, which will not lie until after tho holidays in some cases. Tilio figures at present available are as follow:—