VOTES ON LIQUOR ISSUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17167, 22 May 1919, Page 7

VOTES ON LIQUOR ISSUE.

RETURNS FROM TRANSPORTS

MAJORITY AGAIN INCREASED,

CONTINUANCE LEAD NOW 10..098.

The majority for continuance vras increased by 839 votes as a result of tho voting by New Zealand soldiers on New Zealand transports which recently arrived. The majority for continuance is now 10,098. Details of the latest soldiers' votes are as follow:— Majority Con. Pro. For Con. Carpentaria... 486 «9 396 Arawa ... 507 64 413 The state of the poll is now as follows CIVILIAN VOTE. For Continuance 232.071 For Prohibition 245,370 Majority for Prohibition 13,299 SOLDIERS' VOTE. For Continuance 30.854 For Prohibition ... ... 7.457 Majority for Continuance 23.397 TOTAL CIVILIAN AND SOLDIERS VOTES. For Continuance 262,925 For Prohibition 252.827 Majority far Continuance 10,093

There arc still some 1500 soldiers' votes to We added to the poll. Three transports which were at sea on April 10 are expected to arrive during the la?t week of this month, the J'aparoa, carrying some 600 soldier?, the Rimutaka, with 670, and the Devon, with 22. In addition the return of the votes c.%st by soldiers in Samoa, some 200, baa yet to be received. The ballot boxes will be returned to Wellington by the next steamer, probably about the middle of June.

FEW INFORMAL VOTES RECORDED.

TOTAL ONLY 4688 TO DATE.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

WELLINGTON, Wednesday.

When the licensing poll was being taken it was expected that many people would express their disapproval of the way in which tho issues were submitted to them by making their voting papers informal. In some quarters there was an expressed intention to cross out the words '° with compensation," as an indication that the voter favoured prohibition without compensation. These expectations of a in?*; of informal votes do not appear to be borne out by the results. The informal votes now number about 4688. No return of informal voting on the 1914 licensing poll is available, but on the representation poll in that vear the informal votes were 5603.

ALLEGED MANIPULATION.

EXPLANATION OF MISTAKE,

A. and N.Z. SYDNEY. May 01Referring to the Rev. R. S. Cray denial of the allegation that the New Zea- , land Alliance had received a cablegram in- j ferring manipulation of tie soldiers' votes, Mr. A. Bruntnell, M.L.C., states that the i Rev. J. Dawson, general secretary of the | Now Zealand Alliance, received a cahlo--1 "ram and read it to Mr- Bruntnell. The ' message declared that the soldiers vote '• did not represent the true feeling of the , men, and there had been some manipuI lation. Mr. Dawson left hurriedly for America, and may not have shown the | cable to Mr. Gray. j From what Mr. Gray says it. is evident fhat there has been a complete misunderI standing of the position in Australia. Be- ' fore the referendum a vote was taken at 1 Cod ford camp, which resulted against i Prohibition. The Alliance received a | message stating that other soldiers had , protested that this trial vote was engineered. This is the message referred to in the foregoing, but it had nothing to do with the actual referendum. J

SYDNEY. May 01