The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, APRIL 11. YESTERDAY'S REFERENDUM.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 April 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, APRIL 11. YESTERDAY'S REFERENDUM.

(With yyhieb is Incorporated The Tedhnpe Poot tad Wafts*!!?'* Newa).

A referendum of the people has been taken on the troublesome perennial question; this Dominion's franchise has decreed whether alcoholic drink shall continue to be sold as heretofore, or whether it shall be banished from the community life altogether, and so far as we are yet aware in Taihape, those who disfavour alcohol as a beverage have something over an 11,000 majority. There are ydt, however, several i important returns to come in which ] might even reduce that majority to \ something negligible, or might increase it so that it would be safe to officially declare the poll at once in favour of prohibition. It seems to us that if the prohibition majority in New Zealand is not carried by returns to come in to at least 20,000, the opponents of liquor will have had all their trouble and expense- for nothing. Either this, or absent soldiers and seamen will prove ag indifferent about voting as their people at home did yesterday. There are yet some 30,000 soldiers' votes to be counted, and it looks very much as if they will have the deciding of the liquor issue. From persistent reports and prophecies, it seems that the soldiers still away will stand Strongly for continuance, and it is not improbable that their vote will be two to one against prohibition. Of course, there are the chances that information generally from our soldiers abroad is faulty on this subject; nevertheless, it is reasonably anticipated there will be a large majority against prohibition. With the 11,100 majority there is no certainty, nor can any one that has not an intimate knowledge of the precise feeling of our men abroad, say what the soldier vote will approximate, but it is. fairly safe to estimate that with a 20,000 majority internally the l Efficiency League's proposals are" sure to become law.by the will of a small majority. As returns come .in to-day, the question will assume an increasingly clearer aspect, but on the basis of the 1914 polling, the majority will be considerably increased. Constituencies have voted very much as they did in 1914 on the National issue, only the cities have become much more opposed to continuance. The polling distinctly discover?, the fact that a referendum is not a safe basis on which to decide any important issue until failure to exercise the vote is made penal. Many tens of thousands of people have failed to redder their opinions .and desires, and which ever tide may win, it may represent only a minority of enrolled! voters. Great questions can never oe

disposed of satisfactorily till every mentally healthy person of the legal age is compelled to vote. There are always those who, in their selfishness, will not hesitate to force their views upon others on every conceivable question, but no issue can bo deemed to be satisfactorily dealt with that is not supported by the .majority, not of recorded votes, but of enrolled votes. No man or woman can truthfully or justly say they did not have sufficient information on the issue to enable them to intelligently vote, for the supporters or both continuance and prohibition have done very nearly all that it was humanly possible to get voters to the poll. Yet the vote taken yesterday can only make partial claim to being representative; the failure of < men and women to realise their duty to the land of their home iu this respect is really appalling; (hey refrain from voting, and. if questions are not decided as they would 'like, or in accordance with their selfish interests, they are the first to complain, and to seek to flood newspapers with their grouchings. From appearances this early morning, the great liquor issue is going to be decided by a very fcmall majority, which ever way it goes.