THE PONSONBY LICENSING ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9014, 29 March 1888, Page 5

THE PONSONBY LICENSING ELECTION.

The election for members of the Licensing Committee for the Ponsonby district will take place to-day. At the late contest, the "prohibitionists" were victorious, but it Mas said then that the " non-prohibi-tionists " did not exert themselves to bring up voters, relying on the legal objection they had to the nomination. This objection proved to be valid, and hence the need for a now election. The prohibitionists, we understand, are not so confident that they will win the election to-day, as the other side are working hard. The election will be fought keenly on both sides. It must be remembered that the Ponsonby election is contested on different lines than the same elections in the other districts. There the question is as to restricting the houses, upstairs bars, and so on. But. in Fonsonby, the banner of prohibition lias been boldly displayed, and if the prohibitionists are fleeted they will not allow any hotel license to be issued in the district. As to the wisdom of this course there is a wide difference of opinion amongst the temE era nee body themselves, many of them holding that- the time has not come, under the present law, for taking this stand. The prohibition candidates are Sir \V. Fox, Messrs. S. J. Ambury. J. Banbury, G. Gregory, Dr. Knight. The non-prohibition candidates are: Messrs. J. T. Armitage, E. T. Dufaur, T. T. Masetield, D. B. McDonald, C. S. Wright.