LOCAL OPTION POLL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14378, 23 November 1908, Page 3

LOCAL OPTION POLL

! NO-LICENSE LOST IN HUTT. REDUCTION CARRIED' IN WAITEMATA, (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, November 22. Tho local option recount was completed last night, with the following result:—' Continuance, 2471; Reduction, 2834; No-' licc/ise, 3592; valid votes, 6034. No-licenso faiicd by 28 2.5 votes. The Otaki final results are as follow: — Continuance, 1811; Reduction, 1311; Noliccnso, 1970; vnlid votes, 3956. •No proposal was carried. WAITEMATA. AUCKLAND, November 22. The recount of votes in the -Waitemate electorate shows that reduction has boon curried by four votes. MASTKRTON. MASTERTON, November 21. A recount of the vote.i at tho recent election just completed shows that no-licenso was carried V 34 votes over the required three-fifths majority. LYTTELTON. CHRISTCHTJRCH, November 22.' Tho official recount for the. Lyttelton electorate was completed this morning, tho figures being:—Continuance, 3065; Reduction, 2773; No-licenso, 3274. Tho total number of valid votes was 6424, so that no proposal was carried. TIMARU. A recount of the. Timaru licensing poll gives the following' results: —Continuance, 2»52; Reduction, 2758; No-license, 3465; valid votes, 6477. No proposal was carried. ''CHALMERS. The local option returns for Chalmers m ns follow:—Continuance, 2155; Reduction, 2582; No-lieensc, 2951; valid. votes, 5130; informal, 77. No-licensc.lost by 127 votes; reduction is carried by 17 votes. EFFECT ON THE TRADE. AUCKLAND BREWERS' LOSSES. (Pis United Phess Association.) AUCKLAND, November 21. In an interview with a leading representative of tho brewery trade, a Herald reporter was furnished with an estimate oi tlie financial effect of the result of the s ii«'iisiii',' poll in the Auckland district and (jiiiiii-muri. Owing to the degree of uncertainty still exiaiim' as'to whether noliwtisc or raluci'i'on has been carried, only approximate ligmc£-;.aii he given in some ui>i'o. .1! is i;non-!i"' that in Eden and Uhin.muri no-license is c;i&/d. and thereiora rhe b:rs to the brewers iii ilicw districts can be g;;tip;..-d. The capital vklur. j of- the hotels as licensed hou-ej in Oliin■■:■'!' mii-ri is citimaiwl at £100,000, and of I he- '■ four hotels in Eden at £35,000. The ioitii : loss from the closing of then' hotels, now- ! . ever, has to bo calculated, less tb-= value: ; of the. properties as uiilicoiusi' houses, which would probably amount to about' half the capital value.' This wou'.d reduce tho loss to the brewers, .owing, to nolicer.se '"having been carried in JMen and Ohineuuiri, to £67,600. As lar as Auckland City, Fai-nell. -Mnnukau, and Waitcinata are concerned, assuming that reduction has b:en carried in each, the numbor of hotels to bo'mliiced .mu6t be at least three in Auckland City and at least two each in the other three districts named, or a total of 10. At the most there can bo 20 reductions, the- extra 10, all being in Auckland City.. The ..capital value of the' 10 hotels closed will be £60,000, 'and if the full quota, of 20 hotels should be closed tho capital value lost would be £120,000, Ices, of course, the value of the properties as unlicensed houses., At- the lowest estiinatc, therefore, the loss., to the browing intcprst. by tho carrying of no-licenso in Kden and Pliine.inuri, and of reduction in !he other Auckland districts, may be estimate:! at, £97,500. on the assumption that the hotels which ,'ow their licenses realiso half their capital value. ' This loss must, limwver, bo increased' when •the loss of trade is taken into account.. All things considered, therefore, the Auckland brewers stand to Joso ■ it' capital amount which ±,100,000 will not fully represent. Since the above figures were' obtained it'has transpired that continuance and not reduction may be found to have been - carried in Waifomata. This, of course, would hs<en tlin aggregate loss stated, though only ■ two notch are concerned.