Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1080, 28 July 1871, Page 2

We cannot take leav 7 e of the debate on the Permissive Bill without noticing a curious blunder into whieh the tellers for the negative fell in counting up the votes on their side of the question, by which it \*as made to appear that the Bill had been lost by a greater majority than was actually the case. Mr Wheelhouse, the principal teller for the noes, read out his numbers with great gusto, '< noes, 206 "; but on the publication of the list itself it was found that he had miscounted, and that he should have said "196." The attention of the Speaker was Galled to the fact on the next evening, and it was suggested that the hon. member should walk up to the table and explain his mistake, but he could not be found. Mr Bouverie, one of the noes, thought that the matter could not be set light, as the tellers for the noes had agreed in the numbers they had given in; but the Speaker ruled otherwise, and said that when both the tellers were present the mistake could be altered. It was nearly 11 o'clock before Mr Wheel house came forward, when he was hailed with considerable hilarity by the House, and at the close of the sitting the mistake was rectified, and the following entry made in the journals of the House : « Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill.—Lord Claud Hamilton and Mr Wheelhouse, being two of the tellers in the division of yesterday upon the amendment upon the second reading of the Permissive Prohibitory Liquor Bill, came to the table and acquainted the House that they had erroneously reported the number of noes as 206 instead of 196, which way the proper

number, corresponding with the division list. Ordered, that the number of the noes in the said division be corrected accordingly by the clerk."