Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY 15th, 1920. THE LICENSING VOTE.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY THE LICENSING VOTE.

The figures for the licensing poll held last month are now sufficiently complete to indicate that the result is beyond all doubt. According to the latest totals published, 543,678 votes were cast in December as against 518,016 in April last, thus indicating that the fact of the general election was in progress lately grpatjy increased the volume of the voting. Of the votes lately cast on the three issues, not any issue has .'been carried. Matters thus remain as they are till the people have another opportunity of expressing their opinions—a matter of another three years. In the recent v.of.e, the State Control isue was quite a negligible matter, the voting being very small. Its strength such as it was counts against prohibition, and the Spnpe Control vote added to the continuance vote would supply a majority of 1617, On the other hand, prohibition is in a minority only to that extent so that the poll in view of the fact that over half a million votes were cast, is exceedingly close. On the previous occasion (April) prohibition was in a minority of 5181, but this time with over twenty-five thousand more votes, the minority short of actually carrying prohibition, has been reduced to The country was therefore very close to a great social change, and no doubt the closeness of the poll was a surprise all round, TV fact that there are so few votes between pftrhjfyitjpQ gnd continuance will cause the riyaf parties po exert their organising powers i.p (he full before the next poll. These two parties will work from extreme ends, of course, bWf cannot something he done in a rational way fop the moderate and temperate side of the f The prohibition party has got quite away from the temperance aspect which formerly worked along very reasonable linen, and the moderate man in the aggregate lucks enthusiasm to plead fohimself. The Moderate League in New Zealand has never risen to representative strength. It lias been left to a willing few to bear the brunt of the campaign, and they have been as voices crying in the wilderness of indifference Whether the apparent proximity of prohibition will tend to awaken the public to the of the situation, remains to be seen ; also, there will be the experiences of “bone dry- I ’, America to point n moral before the next contest conies round. It appears to be a question though whether in the interim there should not !be (action for an amendment of the law to eliminate the State Control issue which is not being put' fairly when pittedi against the other issues which are "of an extreme snpture. Continutanec and l prohibition while on the same ballot paper, will always remain the plain issues, and anything else becomes a side issue. It might he different as the people came to understand State Control, but ere that arrives, the liquor question might he settled more positively in another direction. 'file Trade will be now on another period of trial, and incidentally it will have the opportunity to organise. It will require to fight for its existence, for meantime the prohibition party has evt-ry encouragement to make the next contest fhff decisive one. It will he for the people to reflect well on the situation ere again being called upon to cast their votes on the licensing question.