SOLDIER LIQUOR VOTE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17111, 17 March 1919, Page 6

SOLDIER LIQUOR VOTE

THE MEN DISFRANCHISED, STATEMENT BY MINISTER. NO POWER TO RECTIFY.■ The exclusion from voting in the forthcoming referendum on the licensing question of all those men who have been discharged from the New Zaaland Expeditionary Force since February 1, and who have failed to enrol—in connection with which matter Mr. A. S. Bankart, president of the Auckland Licensed Victuallers' Association, communicated with the ActingPrime Minister, Sir James Allen— the subject of a telegram from the latter to Mr. Bankart on' Saturday. Sir James Allen stated I would point out that Section 12 of the Licensing Amendment Act, 1918, tinder which the regulations were mode, provides only for taking votes of members of Expeditionary Forces-* soldier on discharge ceases to be a member of the Expeditionary Forces, and the regulations cannot creato a special righ* : not conferred by the section. The law is quite clear, and the Government cannot act in contravention of the law. I rogret that - some returned, soldiers have abstained from enrolling as electors* under a misapprehension of the.position,\ and am sorry that there, is n6 power to' rectify their mistake." . , ~ _ In reply to a message from Mr. Bankart, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister for Justice, telegraphed that iw would confer with the Acting-Prime Minister on the matter, and the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, acting-leader of the Liberal Party, stated that he was going into the question with a view to seeing what could be done. " Mr. Bankart states that ho considers Sir James Allen's reply most unsatisfactory, and points* out that the' Attorney-General, who was primarily responsible for the drafting of the Act, had repeatedly stated that all soldiers would be assured of a vote; No doubt the Government was desirous that tho men should have the privilege of voting, and therefore the opinion of the Attorney-General should be sought. He asked : Would not the revoca* tion of the Order-in-Council of February 25 readjust the position! \ , "' Reference to the position was made last night by Mr. 0. J. But, M.P. # for Eden. He said it was ft monstrous thing that 6. soldier who had been fighting for Ins country should he disfranchised, It was idle to suggest that these men, many, of Whom, wew suffering from wounds and sickness, should be expected to read the New. ZejJiihd Gazette every time a regula-, tiptfwas tested or cancelled, 'and then pro; ceed Agister,- He understood that the regulation which enabled men to vote upon production of their discharge and.daybook was cancelled 'only four days; before the closing Of the ; rolls. - Apparently , they*, 'were expected to know of the cancellation and, register in that short period. . This Was: about the last thing "a soldier who recently returned would think of doinp, so that the hardship Was apparent,- . .Notwithstanding Sir James Allen's statement that the law. prevented a remedy being found,,' he '- believed -a new regulation, restoring to the men . affected their old right might, bo passed,- In the ordinary course, hundreds of soldiers would be discharged betwen the date of the closing-of the rolls and April 10. 'Were those men ilso to he disfranchised? Clf; the present ; position could 'not be remedied, then the Defence Department should refrain, from discharging any men until after the taking of toreferendumrJ Parr concluded by ■ saying that ie intended to make representations on toe mate to -the AttorneyGeneral, v. ~ : ■ i/ : ,■. •■'.. ;' ■■,