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Press, Volume LV, Issue 16507, 26 April 1919, Page 8

The votes cast by undischarged soldiers in New Zealand have at last been counted. Although it was officially estimated that there were 10,000 such soldiers, the votes recorded numbered only 5318, with several small country returns to come. Of these 5318 votes 3847 were for Continuance and 1471 for Prohibition. This will add nearly 2400 to the Continuance majority, making it over 5030, and there are the votes on ,some of the transports still to be countea. This is of less interest than the proportion of votes cast for Continuance by the soldiers in New Zealand. The figures work out: Continuance, 72.3 per cent.; Prohibition, 27.7 per cent.

The Prohibitionists have plainly been angered by the soldiers, who, although they defeated the enemy in Europe and Asia, cancelled their credit by daring to run counter to the wishes of the Prohibition party. When the returns from the troops in Britain, Europe, and Egypt were coming in the "Vanguard" caine out with the suggestion that these men had not been through tho Prohibition campaign, and were accordingly ignorant of all the facts and circumstances of the movement. The Prohibitionists everywhere took the cue promptly. We wore advised to watt and seo the verdict of the soldiers who had been present during the referendum campaign, who had not been misled or "debauched," and who, above all, had had the benefit of hearing, day by day, the Prohibitionist side of the case. Many people were doubtless led to expect that the votes of these men would show an overwhelming majority for Prohibition. Now we have their verdict, and it is a 72.3 per cent, vordict against Prohibition.

On April lGth tho final return of the voting by soldiers in Great Britain and Western Europe was: Continuance 16,317, Prohibition 4C04. This represents a vote of 80.3 per cent, in favour of Continuance. Perhaps the Prohibitionists will endeavour to extract somo consolation from tho fact that 72.3 per cent, is not so high a percentage as 80.3 per cent., but even this cold comfort is attenuated by the fact that a 72.3 per cent, majority over the whole body of soldiers would wipe out tho civilian majority for Prohibition. What the public would like to hear is the Prohibitionist explanation of the reason why the local soldiers, after enjoying the benefit of all that could Be said by tho N.Z. Alliance and the "Efficiency League," voted so very emphatically against those misguided bodies.

The public will read with some astonishment to-day the Hon. Mr Russell's statement concerning the unsatisfactory position of tho quarantine stations. He appears to suggest that later on he will make a fuller statement, but in the meantime he mentions a sumrisinQ fact.

i As long ago as the middle of December, J 191$, he ordered the immediate exte'n- ! sio:i of the fttntions at Motmhi and i Somes Islands, and lie had some exi cuso for supposing that the work would Ihe done, lie has askod for a report on ! tlie subject the other day, only to dis- | cover that hi? Departmental officers do I not" cxpoct tlie Mciuihi extensions to completed under two months. Whether anything substantial at all has been tlcne since the Minister issued his order four months ago is not made clear, but apparently next to nothing has been dene. We do not think that Mr Russell can bo greatly blamed for this unj satisfactory position. Tin. , fault appears to be with his cfiicers, who appear not to have learned very much after ,-il from tlio outbreak of last spring.