Prohibition at South Molyneux and Catlins.
The following report of the Catlins Eiyer licensing election is from the Otago Daily Times ot Wednesday, December 2nd, 1891 :
There wasintonse excitement in the districts of South Molyneux ana Cathas on Saturday last, as the poll taken that day was to decide the question ot license or no license for the next three years. It will be remembered tbat some two years ago a prohibition committee was elected by a very narrow majority, and tbat at a subsequent licensing. meeting renewals of all licenses were refused. This was about 18 month's ago. Those in favour of prohibition allege that from that time the district has benefitted very materially by the absenoe of tbe drink traffic—in fact it is admitted on all hands that many evils which formerly existed have been reduced to a minimum. It was not to be expected that the party favouring licenses would sit down quietly and allow the banishment of the public house to become perpetual, and so lor the last few months a vigorous canvass has been made to seoure the election of a committee which would once more grant licenses in the district. So confident were the nonprohibitionists of Buccess that a large building has been erected at Catlins at a cost of some £7OO or £BOO to be opened as a hotel as soon as the new committee should be in office. The licensing district is a large one embracing tbe districts of Puerua, South Molyneux, Port Molyneux, Glenoamaru, Owake, and Catlins, and coveiing an area of country of about 30 miles long by about 15 miles wide. Meanwhile the friends of prohibition had not been idle, and on Saturday last settlers might be seen in all directions going to the various polling places, some on horseback and many in buggies and other vehicles. It was noticeable that while many of those opposed to prohibition were conveyed to tbe polls in vehicles supplied, the prohibitionists for the most part went either on tbeir own horses or in their own conveyances.
The result) of the poll was a surprise evea to the prohibitionists themselves. They had expected a close contest, but the large majorities by which the prohibition candidates were elected shows that the uettlers ar6 convinced that advantages ate enjoyed in the absence of the liquor traffic, and it now appears that prohibition has come to stay in that thriving and beautiful part of the country. The polling resulted as follows: Prohibitionists. Johnßeay 188 John Green 186 J. M'CollSmith ... • ... 135 KobertTrapp ... 184 James Lamont 125 Total 668 For License. J. Mclntyre 57 J. H. JenkinSon 55 R.S.Murray 58 John Thompson 52 A. Meder 51 Total 268 Majority for Prohibition 400. The districts voted as follows : For Against Majority License License Against Owalce 160 232 72 Purekenki 20 40 20 Ratanui 43 47 4 P't Molyneux 17 156 189 Pueerua 28 193 165 268 668 400
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WDT18911212.2.9
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3987, 12 December 1891, Page 2
Word count
Tapeke kupu
489Prohibition at South Molyneux and Catlins. Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3987, 12 December 1891, Page 2
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.