LOCAL OPTION POLL. NO PROPOSAL CARRIED AT HUTT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 123, 23 November 1908, Page 2

LOCAL OPTION POLL. NO PROPOSAL CARRIED AT HUTT.

RESULT OF THE RECOUNT. NO-LICENSE FAILS BY TWENTYEIGHT VOTES. Between half past seven and eight o'clock on Saturday night, the hopes of the No-license workers in the Hutt electorate were dashed to the ground by the announcement by the returning officer (Mr. R. Mothes) at Petone of theresult of the recount. This showedthat-No-license had failed by 28 votes. THE NEW FIGURES. Following are the complete figures :—: — Continuance „. *~. 2417 Eeduction ..! 2824 No-license 3592 Valid voters ... ._ 6034 Informal -80 j There were 54 absent votes recorded, and of these about half voted for NoJicense. THE PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS. Election Last Night Thursday Continuance ... 2377 2377 Reduction ... 2837 2842 No-license ... 3590 3585 Informal ... 73 73 Valid voters ... 5991 5898 It will be seen that, compared with last Thursday's corrected figures, continuance votes increased by 40, reduction decreased by 18, No-license increased by 2, and valid voters increased by 43. AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT. A fairly large crowd of people collected around the main polling booth afc Petone to await the isesult, which was soon made known through the whole of the town. Contrary to expectations, there was hardly any demonstration in the streets, notwithstanding the fact that there were some individuals celebrating the result by demonstrating that the town was not dry ; nor they. Many people paraded the streets till long after 10 o'clock, with the idea of witnessing something beyond the usual routine of a Saturday evening ; but these anticipations -were for the most part not realised. An individual created a diversion by his unsuccessful endeccvours to walk j a chalk-line, and another sought pugilistic encounters with all and sundry, but the prompt intervention of the police nipped the development of a few un« seemly incidents in the bud. I THE NO-LICENSE WORKERS. To the No-license workers the defeat was rendered doubly hard by reason ci the fact that on the figures supplied on Tuesday evening last they were led <to believe that victory was theirs. In the face of this trying circumstance, hoivever, they received the final result of j the count with great complacency outwardly. Mr. jy Townsend delivered an impromptu speech in frout of the Noj license League's office. "We are here t to-night," he commenced, "standing upon the ashes of a three years' fight." Despite the fact that they were defeated by 28 votes (he went on) they were 1175 ahead of the Trade, representing an increase over last election of a hundred per cent. At the next general election they would require considerably less ! than 100 per cent, increase to carry the I day. It now remained for the supporters to begin the campaign immediately, instead of waiting until the last week>or six months, as many had done. He was perfectly .convinced that had there been sufficient workers, No-license would have been a long way above 28 behind. He was satisfied that the.re was more than a three-fifths majority in the electorate. "I appeal to all you who love your fellow-men," he continued. "If we are beaten, we are not disheartened. We stand in the ranks of a great army thao is going to stamp out that great iniquity — the open bar." He expressed himself as confident of carrying Nolicense at next election. On the day of the polling he travelled over the whole of the district, when he found every man true to his post. It was the duty of No-license supporters to come along and fill up the ranks. For himself, he could not go on at the rate he had done, but at the same time he would continue an active connection with the league. "I will stake my reputation that we will go in with flying colours in three years' time," was his concluding remark. Three cheers were then lustily given for the. speaker, and afterwards Mr. Townsend nearly had his hand wrung off with the number of hearty handshakes of congratulation that he received. A SURPRISE. One surprising thing to the league in connection with the official count, was that No-license scarcely received a bare majority of the absentee voters. Not including the two seamen voters, who did not vote on local option, and the one remaining vote yet to come in, somo 50 permits were opened in connection with local option. It is stated that a curious incident in connection with these votes was that two of them — one for Nolicense and one against, wero recorded on ■ papers, the two issues of which were Non-restoration and Restoration. Stranger still, one of these permits, both of which were disallowed, bore the post mark of Otaki. Absentee votes included, No-licensa only gained two votes, which means that the official count reduced the votes by quite 23 of their former number, while, as already shown, continuance gained 40, and reduction lost 13 votes. SOME OTHER POINTS. i The No-license party considers that I an amendment of the law in respect to , the practice of mixing together all the. papers from the various booths, before counting, should be brought about, making it compulsory that they should be taken separately, so as to do away with any possible informality. The party^ also desires to emphasise that one scrutineer cannot adequately check the work of five officers at the recount. It is contended that either the number of the clerks should be reduced, or the number of scrutineers should be proportionately increased. Some electors, it is asserted,, spoiled their ballot papers, and asked for fresh ones, which were refused. "Judging by the considerable alteration in the figures," said a No-license advocate, "a largo number of poll clerks have made mistakes, and I can scarcely see how so many can have been made by competent men." A meeting of the Hutt No-license League will be held to-night, when a certain course of 'action will be decided upon. A further recount may bo asked for. The scrutineer-clerks representing the two sides at the recount on Saturday wero Mr. -Blair (of Messrs. Skerrett and Wylie) and Rev. T. A. Williams. The number of votes cast in the Hutt Parliamentary election was five le'Si than the valid votes on the local option poll. THE HOTELKEEPERS. Mr. H. J. Palmer, chairman of the Hutt Licensed Victuallers' Association, said that so far as he was concerned, he did not bear the slightest ill-feeling. He reiterated what he said to a Post repoitoi" tho day after tha poll, when ho jphiloßoplucallx cpjnjuejat^d pn. whaJi &1?>

peared to be defeat, that had a strong Opposition candidate been out against Mr. Wilford, more would have gone to tho poll, and there would have been a greater poll for continuance. He desired to thank all who had helped his side, and he believed continuance would be carried at next election.