BALLOT-PAPER TRAIL

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 459, 14 September 1928, Page 12

BALLOT-PAPER TRAIL

LABOUR HAS MERRY CHASE LICENSING POLL ISSUES (THE SUN’S Parliamentary portei') WELLINGTON, To-day. Mischief brewed in the Licensing Bill discussion to-night over the admission of the Hon. A. D. McLeod, in answer to a question by Mr. Holland and Mr. J. G. Eliott, in the afternoon, that over 100,300 ballot papers for the licensing poll in November had already been printed, embodying the three issues for popular decision, regardless of the fact that the existing law might be altered. Mr. McLeod had at first admitted that not 5 per cent, of the total of the ballot papers required had been printed, and next, when pressed by Mr. Parry, that about 100,000 had been printed. It was these admissions that formed the basis of acrimonious passages during the main licensing debate in the evening. when Mr. Holland pointed out that though Mr. Coates had the two-issue ballot paper proposed in the Bill, the ballot papers for the coming poll were already printed with three issues on them.

Mr. McLeod: No. Mr. Holland: It was admitted this afternoon.

Mr. McLeod: No. Mr. Holland: What is the use of *he Minister denying it? Mr. McLeod: Because it is not true. Mr. Holland characterised as astounding the Minister’s replies to questions asked by Mr. Eliott and himself in the afternoon, when Mr. McLeod first admitted that 5 per cent, only of the papers were printed, and then that 100,000 were printed, Mr. Coates: There is over a million printed.

Mr. Holland seized triumphantly on this interjection, saying that the Prime Minister had thereby admitted the truth of his charges. Mr. Coates had said that over a million papers were already printed. Mr. Coates: I said nothing of the kind. CHARGE OF INSINCERITY Mr. Holland said that even supposing all the papers had not been printed, at any rate, 100,000 had been printed, and thqse had the three issues on them which showed that £he Prime Minister was insincere in bringing on the licensing Bill in its present form. The Government. while bringing forward this Bill, knew that 100,000 papers, if not the whole lot, had been printed bearing the three issues. He challenged the Government to allow a delegation, consisting of himself, Mr. Coates, Mr. Eliott and Mr. Forbes to inspect the Government Printing Office and examine its documents to ascertain the exact position, and the truth or otherwise of his charges. SECRET SOURCE Mr. McLeod. Minister in Charge of the Electoral Department, said that Mr. Holland had, according to custom, gone out of his way to make the licensing debate a direct party question. As for his charge, until :nid-day he (Mr. McLeod) was a good deal more ignorant of what was going on in the Government Printing Office than Mr. Holland evidently was. Apparently he had got some information through secret sources. He must have asked some workers in the printing department to falsify the oath of secrecy under which they were engaged. Mr. Holland (excitedly): I did not! I did net! Mr. Speaker: Order! Order! Mr. McLeod was instructed to withdraw, and did so, stating, however, that an oath of secrecy was demanded of all Government Printing Office employees, and if evidence had been secured from that source, then some employee had broken his oath. Mr. Holland: You are quite wrong. Mr. McLeod continued that Mr. Eliott had asked his question because he had heard a whisper that someone knew that a number of ballot papers had been printed. He added .hat he had secured a report from the officer responsible for the printing of the ballot papers. He read out this officer’s memorandum, which stated that the papers for absentee electors, which were wanted early, about 125,000 being required, had been prepared because the time was so short. They had necesarily been prepared ; n accordance with the existing law, which provided for a three-issue ballot paper. “Mr. Holland,” concluded Mr. McLeod, ‘lias gone out of his way to suggest surreptitious actions on the part of the Government,”