THE LICENSING ELECTION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXI, Issue 5060, 10 March 1900, Page 2

THE LICENSING ELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR,

Sir,—lf the arrangement made for the election ot a Licensing Committee for the Ashburton electoral district holds good, and a poll is taken only at the places specified in, the returning officer's official advertisement in your Thursday's ißsue, a very large number of electors who voted at the general election in December, will find a great difficulty in doing so on March 22. From your official figures in December I find that over one thousand votes were recorded at polling places which are not included in the list for the election of a Licensing Committee this month. I understand the Act under which the election will take place specifies that the voting is to be taken in the same way as at a general election for the House of Representatives. If this is so, then the action of the County Council is surely unfair, and not in keeping with the law. On the face of ii, the retention of both the Ashburton booths and Tinwald, all within Bay two miles of one another, and the striking out of such booths aa Longbeaoh, Staveley, andßnapuna, certainly looks very unlike giving the outside country voters a fair chance of record* ing their votea on the question.—l am, etc, P.B.