THE LICENSING POLL.

Taihape Daily Times, 30 April 1919, Page 5

THE LICENSING POLL.

With the addition of the soldiers’ votes the present poll aggregate is 507,432, the voting being as under:

For Continuance 257,018 For Prohibition.. . 250,414

Majority for Continuance 6,604

Up to the present the returns have been received from six troopships, accounting for 5,069 votes, while the Minister of Defence stated that at tho time of the poll there were supposed to be 12,109 mn at sea in fifteen vessels, according to information received by the New Zealand authorities. In addition to this there were about, 220 soldiers in the garrison at Samoa. So that at the present time returns are still wanting from nine transports carrying approximately 7,000 troops, and also from the 200 odd men at Samoa. Apart from these there are still thq official recounts, including sentees and seamens’ votes, to come from the North Island and seven South Island electorates, namely, from the Bay of Islands, Franklin, Raglan, Taumarunui, Gisborne, Taranaki, Wanganui, Palmerston, Wellington East and Wellington Suburbs in the North, and from Nelson, Bullcr, Grey, Hurunui, Otago Central, Wakatipu, and Arawua in the South. These seventeen electorates should produce at least 2,000, more votes, which, with the soldiers’ votes yet to come, means that, roughly between 9,000 and 10,000 votes aije still wanted to complete tbo poll. TWO TROOPSHIPS ARRIVE. o RARANGA AND TAINUT. SOLID VOTE FOR CONTINUANCE. WELLINGTON, April 29. The steamer Raranga, with 1075 troops, anchored in the stream this morning, and reported all well and clean. Tho troops disembarked this afternoon. The Raranga came via Panama Canal. The voyage was marred by losing at sea one of the ship’s complement, Private D. McDougall, 2/1245. The men are reported to have Voted solidly against prohibition. Auckland, King Country, and Wairarapa men leave by the ordinary expresses to-morrow.

The steamer Tainui, with 505 troops, also from the United Kingdom, arrived in the stream early this afternoon. The troops are expected to disembark at 8 a.m. to-morrow.