A MISTAKE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11946, 17 May 1933, Page 5

A MISTAKE

COUNTING THE N.S.W. REFERENDUM. ANTI-GOVERNMENT VOTES INCREASED. LANG’S BITTER COMMENT. (U.P.A. by Elec. Ten, Copyright ) SYDNEY, May 16. A re-check of the votes iu Botany disclosed the fact- that- a hour 1280 “No” votes had been wrongly ciedited to “Yes". Tho figures for Botany on Sunday night were- given ns “Ycs' ! 7620, “No” 11.7-10. but as a result °f yesterday’s check counts, the figures are ‘‘Yes” 63-10, ‘No’ 13,034.

The affirmative majority in tho referendum now is ‘2O/At-. "The whole ballot is under suspicion because the Government went out of its way io prevent scrutineers,’ 3 said Air. Lang, referring to the mistake at Botany. “A similar mistake in eight or nine -eats if discovered, would turn an apparent ‘"Yes” majority into a verdict against the Government. That similar mistakes, accidental o r deliberate, have been made in more than eight electorates i s very evident,.’ 3 Tho Attorney-General, Mr. Manning, replies that there is no justification for a suggestion that a mistake of this sort isurht he general because of the absence of scrutineoi Mistakes, of enrso, were possible nrtdcr any system, but the efficiency the present s>st,o,n was demonstrated by the fact that th ; s mistake was discovered hi Uuo and corrected It was proof of Ho sufficiency. not the in.sufficiencv, of the check.