THE LICENSING ISSUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18235, 31 October 1922, Page 9

THE LICENSING ISSUE.

QUESTIONS FOR NEXT POLL.

LOCAL RESTORATION VOTE.

FIFTH NATIONAL REFERENDUM.

The fifth poll on the issue of national prohibition will • be taken on the day of the general election. Polls will also be taken in the 13 no-license districts on the issue of local restoration. Except for the latter the local option has been abolished. The first Act of Parliament providing for popular referenda on the licensing question was passed on October 2, 1893, a fortnight after the franchise was granted to women. The law has 'been modified from time to time, but the most numerous and radical alterations were made in the Bill p?ssed by Parliament on December 10, 1918. .This legislation provided for the special poll on the national issue only, which was taken in April, 1919, for the addition to the ballot paper of the State purchase proposal, and for the decision of the issue by absolute majority.

Ten referenda have been taken in New Zealand on all but the first occasion on the. day of the triennial election of members of the Houso of Representatives. At the first six—lß93 to 1908—the electors, voting by districts only, were asked to decide upon the Issues of continuance, reduction of licenses, and no-license. In 1911 and 1914 district polls were taken on the two issues only of continuance and no-license, the reduction proposal having been eliminated. On these occasions, also, the electors voted by special ballot papers on the question of national prohibition. At the special poll in 1919 only the national issue was submitted, while at the general election on December 17, 1919, the. national and local restoration proposals were submitted. The No-Llcease Movement.

Voting on the basis of the three-fifths 'majority, 12 districts carried no-license, tho required majority having been recorded in one district in 1893; in two in 1902; in three in 1905; and in six in 1908. The districts in which no-license ha* been enforced upon Iho vote of tho electors are as follow, the table showing the year in which no-license was carried and the votes for and against:— Year. For. Against. Clutha . . . . 1893 1642 487 Ashourton .. .. 1902 2870 1734 Mataura . • .. 1902 2939 1877 Grev Lynn .. .. 1905 3426 1941 Oair.aru . . . . 1905 3142 1818 Invercargill . . . . 1905 3409 -2573 Eden . . . . • . 1908 4057 2249 Ohinemuri . . . . 1908 3333 2035 Masterton .. .. 1908 15287 2111 Wellington South . . 1908 4054 2241 Wellington Suburbs 1908 4334 2448 Brine .. • . . . 1908 2988 1872 The district, of Roskill, created by the revision of electoral boundaries following the census of 1916, is a no-license area, as more than half its population is contained in the area formerly within the boundaries of Eden. This is the first " dry " district f created by the revision of electoral boundaries. At the 1908 poll 38 districts showed an actual majority in favour of no-license; the number dropped to 25 in 1911, and to only eight in 1914. On the other hand, none of the "dry" districts has ever shown the three-fiiths majority necessary to restore licenses. The following tablo shows the aggregate voting at the eight local option polls:— Continuance. No-License. JS93 .. .. 42,429 48,993 1896 . . . . 139.580 98.312 1899 . . • . 143.561 120.542 i<X)2 . . . . 148.449 151,524 : i905 , .. 182,884 198,768 1908 . . . . 188.110 221.471 1911 237,025 234.656 19! $ . . . . 274,405 229,474 The majority for no-license thus increased from 15,884 in 1905 to 43,331 in 1908. There was, however, a majority for continuance of 2369 at the poll of 1911 and of 52,073 in 1914. The Restoration Vote. Of the valid rates recorded in the 12 no-license, districts in 1911, there were 43.83 per cent, in favour of restoration. The proportion increased in 1914 to 46.97 nor cent., while in 1919 the restoration me in the 12 districts declined to 45.19 per cent., and including Eoskill, to 43.58 per cent. At the last poll there was an actual majority for restoration in Ohinemuri and Ashbiirton. At the forthcoming poll, electors in the no-license districts will again vote on the question of restoration of lionises, in terms of the 1910 Act, which requires a majority of three-fifths of_ the valid votes to carry restoration of licenses. If restoration should be carried in a nolicense district* the number of publicans' licenses to be granted " shall not exceed one for every complete 500 electors of the district at the date of the general election at which the poll was taken, and shall not be less (if a sufficient number of such licenses are duly applied for) than one for every complete 1000" electors of the district?' The National Issue. The first national prohibition poll was taken in 1911 and the second in 1914, a, majority of three-fifths being required to cany prohibition, and under the Act of 1910" such a vote would have become effective 4£ ycjars a.fter tho poll. The poll of April, 1919, was taken on tho proposal of immediate prohibition, to bo effective as from the following Juno 30, with compensation of £4,500,000 to the licensed trade, the decision being by a bare majority. Provision was made in the 1918 Act for further polls triennially on the threft issues of continuance, State purchase and control, and prohibition, the decision to be bv a bare majority. As the law now stands, the carrying of prohibition would bo effective as from June 30 next after the poll, while State purchase and control would come into force on a date proclaimed, not more than one year after the official declaration of tho result of the poll. Nm compensation would be payable if prohibition were carried; tho Act authorises the borrowing of sums not exceeding £10,0C0,000 for the purchase of the interests involved, should the State control proposal bo carried. Results of Previous Polls. Tho following table shows tho results of tho four national polls, with an analysis of the voting by civilians and by electors on active service in April 1919: Continuance. Prohibition. Votes- Fer ceut. Votes. Per cent. 1911 .. .. 205.661 44.17 259,913 55.83 1914 . . . . 257,442 51.01 247,217 48.99 April 10, 1010 — Civilians , . 232,208 48.;55 246,104 51.45 Soldieia in N.Z. .. 3.886 72.40 1,482 27-60 Soldiers abroad . 28,095 81.82 6,241 18.18 .Total . . 264,189 51.00 253,827 49XX) Dec. ,17, 1919. 273.512* 50 30 270,250 49-70 * Including Stat© purchase, 32,261, equiva- ■ lent to 5.93 per cent. The vote for continuance was 241,251, equal to 44.37 per cent. Although the supporters of prohibition failed in 1911 to carry the day, the vote showed only a narrow deficiency. Of those who voted for continuance, had 19.420. or about. 9 per cent., marked their ballot papers in the other way, the necessr.ry majority would have been secured. There was a marked reaction in 1914. at botii the local and national polls. On a similar calculation, 55,579, or 21 per cent, of those who voted continuance must have reversed their votes for prohibition to have been carried. As thero was a majority of 2 per cent, in favour of continuance in April, 1919, the reversal of 5282 votes would have given a majority of two votes for prohibition. At the last poll, the majority against prohibition was 3262. Consequently, had only 1632 votes polled against been cast for prohibition, the majority would have been secured.