STREET DISPLAY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1306, 8 December 1911, Page 6

STREET DISPLAY.

"DOMINION'S" RESULT BOARD. IX TITO QUAY. A large crowd nsscmbteil early last ovening before The Dominion hoarding in Lambton Quay, upon which tho election results wero posted as they came to hand. At 7.30 p.m. a couple of thousand people wero awaiting tho new.-", and nbout an hour later the crowd uuinbored nbout five thousand. This number was increased by somo two or three thousand as tho evening woro on. During tho first hour of its presence, tho crowd was comparatively undemonstrative. Tho earliest indication of its sympathies was given whan portraits of tho Prime Minister and of Air. Massey were successively displayed on the screen. Silenee, followed by a few hoots, gavo eloquent testimony to tho esteem in which the Primp Minister is held by tho Wellington public, but hearty cheers viorc raised when tho well-known features of the Leader of tho Opposition appeared upon tho screen. As the results of tho election were mado known the victory of Eeform candidates was. in overy instance, acclaimed and an ovation of cheering broko out when tho figures were posted which showed that Mr. Hcrdman bad won the Wellington North seat, by a large majority, on tho first ballot. In the main the crowd was remarkably good-natured. As their fato became known, the candidates of all parties spoke from a platform in front of tho hoarding, and nearly all of them wero given a good hearing. The trend of popular opinion was strikingly exemplified when it was made known that tho return of Sir Joseph Ward in Awarua was , assured. Hoots, mingled with cheers, greeted the news, and the hoots had decidedly the best of The reception of the news that Mr. M'Nab had been defeated by Mr. Buick in Falmerston North was in striking contrast. Loud and continued cheering aroso as the figures went up. The announcement that Sir John Findlay had been defeated in Parnell evoked a veritable storm of popular approval. News that Eeform candidates were in a majority also proved highly popular. Loud cheers went up when it was seen that 1G Eeform candidates and.lo Government supporters had been returned. A cartoon of the Prime Minister, thrown upon the screen late in the evening, was counted out- with enthusiasm. In the tide of demonstrations there were occasional features that seemed inconsistent with the general trend, but tho outstanding feature was that popular feeling had turned solidly against the Government. This was demonstrated unmistakeably time after time. From a police point of view, things were very quiet in the city last evening. Although there was a largo number of tho forco on duty, they had very littlo to do. This was dne to the orderly way in which the huge crowds in the streets conducted themselves. In case of accidents, a squad of men from the Permanent Forco were ordered out for duty, and they were stationed at the Lambton Quay Police. Barracks, but their services were not , required. RETURNS FROM THE SUBURBS. SMAET WORK. Nothing could have been more systematic than the manner in which Mr! W.

J. Salmond carried out his duties in connection with the returns of the Suburbs and Country electorate. The chief polling booth was at Ormrod's store, at the corner of.Chilka Street and Adelaide Road, end thanks to the courtesy ot Mr. and Mrs. Ormrod the returning officer was able to make excellent arrangements, and though there were no fewer than 39 booths scattered round the electorate, the results came to hand in excellent time. Mr. Salmond's arrangements, which showed considerable forethought, included a select staff, three special telephones, and specially-prepared sheets for the press representatives ■to take the fi?HTcs. The

first return came to hand from Karnk.i Bay at seven minutes pasi 7 o'clock, and showed Mr. be in the lead—a position which he maintained throughout. Tho second return did not corae to band .for some minutes, but, thereafter, the results came along in a continuous stream until 10 minutes past 8 o'clock, when there were , only two booths' from which reports were wanting—Khandallah and Pukchuia. Tho figures from Khai.dallah were to hand at 8.35 r>.m., but the completion of the totals was held up until nearly a quarter past 9 o'clock, when the figures from Pukehuia arrived. It appeared that the officer in charge of the Pukehuia booth had handed the figures in at the John-s-onvillo office to be telephoned at 7.50 p.m., and but for some unforeseen delay, the fnll returns for the electorate must have been completed in record time. Out of a total of 7927 voters on the , roll nearly 6000 recorded their votes, while there were 138 permits issued for absent voters. TO-NIGHT'S MEETINGS. Mr. F' M. B. Fisher (Opposition, Wellington Central), at St. Peter's Schoolroom, at 8 o'clock. - Mr. E. A. Wright (Opposition, Welling, ton South), at Todman Street, Brooklyn, at 7 o'clock. Corner, of Howard and Wallace Streets, at 8 o'clock; at Finlay Terrace and Wallace Street, at 8.30 o'clock. FUTURE MEETINGS. Mr. R. A. Wright (Opposition,. Wellington Sonth), at the corner of Adelaide Read and Luxford Street, at 7 o'clock on Saturday evening; at Wilson Street, at 8 o'clock tho same evening. AROUND THE BOOTHS. Although the voting was fairly solid all round yesterday—thanks to the fino weather and fino motor-cars—thero were hours and hours in some of the booths where tho long -array of clerks sat and twiddled their thumbs and whistled for tho electors to come, as a sailor does for the wind in the doldrums. The reason for this is that some of the polling places, though conveniently situated, are not conspicuous enough, and in some cases are situated too close to other booths. This was tho case with tho Wesley Schoolroom in Taranaki Street, only a couplo of hundred yards or so away from tho Drnids' Hall. Here the polling place was situated well out of sight from the street at the rear of tho parsonago, next door to tho church. The only notification- that there was a polling place in tho .vicinity was a square bit of calico tacked on to the front fence, on which was printed tbo words, "Wellington Central—Polling Place." When visited early yesterday afternoon therb was no sign of life whatever—none at tho main gates on the street frontage, and no one at the door of the booth. The schoolroom seemed as quiet and preoccupied as at six o'clock on a Sunday morn. Tip at the Druids' Hall an argument between on excited old woman and a eolonrod man relieved the quiet of tho early afternoon. . Both became bo extremely voluble at last that Sergeant Eutledge had to remind them that an election was going on, and quiet must be maintained. Shades of Eatpnswill!— one could have heard a pin drop outsido the booths. All the ginjjer has departed from the elections. It is fit and proper that the polling places should for the main part be Sunday schools.