NO-LICENSE BALLOT PAPERS.

■f • i «» • — '— ■ {MB, ISITT KT EXPLANATION. . When in Nekoh last week the Rev. I. W. Isitt, secretary of the Neiy Zealand' Alliance, made a public explanation ia re- , gard to the alleged abstraction of ballotpapers at the last Wellington licensing polls, a matter which fortned the ■ subject of at parliamentary, intjuiry. ■ He said (reports tlie Nelson Mail) that 10 minutes before tho opening of the Wellington Licensing Committee election on March; 25 a ballot papc* was .brought to him by a man, whom 30 years of acquaintance justified him in, 'believing to be entirely trustworthy, and who told him- that it had been, taken tho previous evening from' a ballot box in a> drillshed, which was to be used as- a-polling-boqth. The papers were in tbo boi, to which-tho key was attached, tempting some young fellows to thoughtlessly open it and help themselves and others to papers, the one brought to •Mγ Isitt having been given to a youth. Mr.lt; A .Wright, one of the candidates, came in as the man was talking to Mr Isitt, find aftor ho had , as Mr Isitt had done, not to disclose* tho name of the .man who brought it, he was shown tho papor. Ho and Mr Isitt took steps io sociiro proof of its haying , been seen by them before 9 a.m., and immediately afterwards Mr Isitt reported the occurrence to tho police inspector, and later sent the pai)er to the returning officer. The police could therefore have prosecuted him at any time after March 25 if he had committed an offonco, so that the suggestion made* in the House that ho refrained from petitioning on the subject of ballot papers till six months later, in order to avoid prosecution, was as ridiculons as it was untrue.

The matter, of the ballot papers asked for and obtained on and after December 29— i.e., five weeks after the local ontion poll of 1902, wa3 also explained by Mr Isitt. Ho said they were unused papers, mere waste paper in fact, though subject to statute regulation, and it would be impossible for use to be mado of one or one thousand' of such ]>apers five- weeks after the closing of a .poll, although, tho committee had 1 made tlio absurd declaration thud, in its opinion, they could have been used for the purpose of upsetting tho local option poll in some of the electorates. Mr Isitt said a grave error had been made by the! .Alliance in asking the returning officer to send them samples, inasmuch as theseoffioers are directed.in the Licensing Act to send them to certain officials. The request was made by the Allinnoe in his j (Mr Isitt's) name, at a. time when he was in the South Island. It was made at the request of the Rev. E. Walkor, whose exact knowledge of the licensing laws was-so complete in most respects that no reference was made to the Licensing Acts'to! sesijf his request could be legally complied witli'tiffitil 11 circulars preferring the request had been posted, and the prompt reply of the Wellington returning officer led to examination of the act , ; and the abandonment of the project. ' Mr Walker's proposal to? to obtain sample papers from all over tho colony, to submit them to tho Colonial Secretary in proof that every returning officer, except the Dunedin official, prints on the papers three or more ■lines in excess of those warranted by the prescribed schedule, thus causing, great confusion to many voters. Mr Isitt Eaid ho knew, this to be true, but did not- know exactly what stops (Mr Walker proposed taking to prove it; but, 'having perfect con fidence in. Mr Walker's knowledge of tho laws, ho willingly consented that the machinery of the office ehoold be placed at the disposal of so experienced' an associate. When ho knew the trouble that had arisen Mr Walker willingly went before the Parliamentary Committee and gave evidence as to his part in the matter. Mr Isitt meanwhile, knowing very little about it, had replied to questions tetho bostof his knowledge, amd had said that he believed two returning officers had fiont papers, and ho knew of no reason why ho should not hand such pape-ra to the committee. Liter filr Isitt said that ho had'.spoken under niieapprohonsion, supposing , that all suggestions of theft had reference to the, one paper taken from the licensingcomniitteo electta booth on 24th Maroh. Hβ had einoe found that the unused paper asked for by Mr Walker had also boon in the mind of tho member for Motueia when-ho said publicly in a railway carriage: "Mr Isitt is a thief. He stole ballot papers aud incßcd others to steal them, and will be- prosecuted for it.' Ho (Mr Isitt) then realised- that if he were to bo prosecuted, the returning oilioers v."hu had been induced by tho Alliance's request to commit a technical breach of tho law might also bo penalised, and though ho would not refuse to reply to any question in fear of ar.y consequences to himself, ho would not disclose the names of others. He had therefor© posted tho ballot papers referred -to to tho officers concerned, and respectfully refused to tell the committee from whom or from what electorate Ballot papers had boon received, "