Licensing Referendum.

Taihape Daily Times, 16 April 1919, Page 4

Licensing Referendum.

PROHIBITION MAJORITY,

REDUCED TO SIX,

SOLDIERS ON CONTINENT VOTE .CONTINUANCE. POLLING DAY IN LONDON. A Press Association message received yesterday from Wellington states that the return of soldiers’ votes from the Continent, which Saturday’s message stated were not included in the figures cabled, have reduced the Prohibition majority to 6. Prior to this message the Prohibition load stood at 419, so that the poll among soldiers still on the Continent evdiently resulted in a majority of approximately 41.1 in favour of Continuance. Although a message from Wellington stated that it was expected to have the count of the votes of undischarged soldiers in the Dominion completed in time for publication at the end of this week, there seems to be little likelihood of the figures being available till next week. A number of the ballot papers have to he sent in from outlying parts of the country with which communication is irregular and infrequent, and a good parcels of votes have not yet reached Mr_ J. Hay, the chief electoral officer for the Aunckland district, who will in turn forward them on to Wellington, where they are opened and counted. It is hardly likely that any announcement about the result of the soldiers’ vote in the Dominion will be made till all the ballot papers are in hand, and with the holiday break the count of these vote s cannot, therefore, be expected till Tuesday or Wednesday.

SOLIDERSj’ VOTES. WELLINGTON, April 13. Details of the latest soldiers votes are:—ROUEN. Continuance 244 Prohibition 25 Informal 1 PARIS, Continuance, 15 Prohibition. ......... 10 HAZBBROUGK. A Continuance 23 Prohibition 2 MONS. Continuance 39 Prohibition 2 BOLOGUNE (INCLUDING ETAPLES AND WIMEREUX.) Continuance ; 67 Prohibition 3 Informal 2 COLOGNE (INCLUDING DUREN.) Continuance 54 Prohibition 8

THE SEAMEN'S VOTE.

MORE THAN 1000 VOTES CAST.

DUNEDIN, April 15

Mr Young, general secretary of the Seamen’s Union, states that while about 3000 seamen, stewards, etc., were eligible to vote on the licensing issue not more than 1000 votes could he cast owing to the difficulties which have arisen regarding the casting of votes. He asserts that whereas soldiers on transports were enabled to record their votes, no provision, was made to enable seamen, firemen, stewards, etc., on those vessels, and whose homes are in New Zealand, to record their votes. Mr. Young adds: The Seamen’s Union intends to demand that the electoral laws be drastically improved as far as the voting privileges of crews of steamers are concerned.

MASTERTON RE-COUNT. MASTERTON, April 15. The official re-count of the votes in the Masterton electorate reduces the continuance majority to one, the figures Being:—Continuance-, >2\TBli;: Prohibition, 2780; informal 37. . WILLOCHRA’S TROOPS ANGRY WELLINGTON, April 15. The returning men by the Willochra judging by comments made from the ship’s side, are very sore at the prohibition poll being taken during their absence from New Zealand, and it was generally asserted that fully 80 per cent, of those on board had voted in favour of continuance. o