NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 44, 20 August 1902, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND ALLIANCE.

- — -* I , The Executive of the New Zealand Alliance met yesterday afternoon, the Chairman (Rev. J. Dawson) presiding. Reports were received froraf several diatricts and special agents, and a good deal of detail business was transacted. Communications were received from the Mataura electorate expressing great in* digaation over the removal to the Awarua elctorate of a section of some five acres on which the Wqodlunds Railway Hotg} stands, thuft guarding against any danger of its liootnse being lost through any vote ip $v< Mataura electorate. It was alleged that a southern merchant wrote to the Boundaries Representation Commission urging that a deviation should be made in the straight lino boundary between Awarua and Mataura, and the result wop to throw this small triangulat piece, into tht A warn* ©leetorate. It was also alleged that the merchant in question was related by marriage to those interested in the hotel affected The Executive found, that thj» matter bad passed beyond the; stage in which any fiction on their part could have any« effect. , The matter of test questions to be sub* mitted to candidates for Parliament was also considered aud remitted to a subcommittee. It was also stated that .there is still great dissatisfaction amongst temperance workora with tht provision of the Licensing Act that demands a three-fifths majority to carry no license. They maintain that the position is not understood by fair-minded persons, ..who advocate it. They contend that if 10,001 people vote in any given electorate at the .next local option poll there might be 6000 persons who voted for no license, 5000 votes' 'for reduction, 3000 of them being cast bj* those who voted only for reduction, and 2000 by those who also voted for no license; 1001 might be the total vote for the continuance. Yet it Mould suffice to defeat the 6000 voters for no license, whose vote would fall short by one of the requisite three-fiftjis majority. It would also defeat the 5000 jvote for reduction, falling short by one of the requisite majority vote. One-tenth of the voters and. one additional .vote would thus triumph over nine-tenths Jess one, who voted either for # no license or reduction or both. f For rout intuition or JV>«t« *m pafl* 7.)