NO-LICENSE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1908, Page 7

NO-LICENSE.

THE IMMIGRANTS' VOTE: A WARNING. The keenest interest in the approaching licensing vote is now manifested by the leaders of the No-License Party on tho one hand, and the Licensed Victuallers on the other. Both sides have been actively canvassing for some time, and now that tho rolls are closed they are bu ing carefully scrutinised with the viow of seeing if there are names there that ought not to be. To a Post reporter to-day, one of the chief officers of the no-Ucense movement said : "There has been an enormous development of sympathy with the nolicense movement. It is difficult to forecast how the coming vote will turn out. .For instance, wet do not know what the immigrants' vote is 1 , and how it will go. We have in this office lists of all tho arrivals at the chief ports during the past twelve months. We are going to use that list. We know that people havo been put on the roll who have not been in the Dominion for twelve months, and who are not therefore legally entitled to vote. Anyone who makes a false declaration as to the date of his arrival in New Zealand (for the purpose of being enrolled) ie liable to three months' imprisonment. Knowing, as we cle, that false declarations ' have been made with respect to length of residence in New Zealand, we shall be compelled, in selfdefence, to press for severe penalties." AN EMPHATIC DENIAL. The attention of a leading representative of the Licensed Victuallers was drawn to the above statement, and his comment was: "J givo an absolute and emphatic denial to the allegation that the electoral rolls have been stuffed on behalf of -'the trade," with tho names ot new arrivals from abroad. Such a thing has never been thought of by 'the trade.' It oniy exists in the imagination of a no-license advocate. We rely upon tho good sense of the people for a sensible and impartial finding on the licensing question at the pofl. on the 17th inst."