3/8 PER VOTE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 137, 13 June 1939, Page 13

3/8 PER VOTE

LICENSING EXPENSES

TWO HOTELS IN DISTRICT

Some amazement at the cost of a recent licensing election was expressed by councillors at last night's meeting of the Petone Borough Council. Mr. H. Firth, the Town Clerk, stated that he had received from the Hutt County Council an account for £63 18s in connection with the Licensing Committee election in the Wellington Suburbs area.

Mr. Firth said that with the formation of a new Wellington Suburbs electorate, a new licensing area was also created. In the Hutt electorate there were 15,617 voters, 354 of whom voted in the licensing election. The number on the rolls in the Suburbs electorate was 16,587, and of these 734 voted. The cost of the licensing election was £135 15s lOd. Actually, the Suburbs Licensing District contained two hotels and a wholesale firm. The Petone share of the bill amounted to £63 18s.

' "The worst of it is that there was not a polling booth in the borough," said Councillor J. Huggan. "The nearest one was at Knox Church, Lower Hutt, or one at Kaiwarra. We are paying out, and we did not have an opportunity to vote. As it cost over 3s 8d a vote, this election must be about the most expensive on record."

' "The worst of it is that there was not a polling booth in the borough," said Councillor J. Huggan. "The nearest one was at Knox Church, Lower Hutt, or one at Kaiwarra. We are paying out, and we did not have an opportunity to vote. As it cost over 3s 8d a vote, this election must be about the most expensive on record."