THE LICENSING POLLS

Otago Witness, Issue 3014, 20 December 1911, Page 34

THE LICENSING POLLS

FINAL RESULTS. The following are the complete returns for the districts named : CHALMERS. Local Option.—Continuance, v 2743; Nolioense, 3457. Informal, 144. National Prohibition.—For, 3767; against. 2345; informal, 232 CLUTHA. Local Option. —For restoration, 2061; against restoration, 2721. National prohibition.—For, 2733; against. 2033. The first returns to hand from country booths gave large majorities for the temperance issues, some of them being: Puerua: For restoration," 8; against, 59. For national prohibition, 60; against,, 6. Port Molyneux: For restoration, 24; against 52. For national prohibition, 56; against, 19. Waiwera : For restoration, 45; against, 103. For national prohibition, 105; against, 43. B&lclutha: For restoration,' 291; against, 508. For national prohibition, 483; against, 312. The voting at the sawmill at Catlin's railway works settlement had the effect of considerably lowering the no-license votes. WAITEMATA. Local Option.—Continuance, 3266; nolicense, 3856. National prohibition.—For, 4065; against, 2970. WAITAKI. The latest figures for the polls in the Waitaki district are as follow : —National prohibition: Against, 2310; for prohibition, 2892. Local: For continuance, 2660; nolicense, 2616. There, were in both polls 314- informal votes, and the number of voters was 5405. The following are the official figures for Mataura : Local option : For restoration, 2402; against, 2828; informal, 139. For national prohibition, 2888; against, 2320; informal, 156. The following are the official figures for Wakatipu : Local option: Continuance, 3060; nolicense, 2025. For national prohibition, 2449; against, 2569; informal, 241. The official declaration of the licensing poll for the Oaroaru district last week shows the following result: —In favour of restoration, 2890; against restoration, 3295. The result of the licensing poll in Otago Central, as now officially announced, is as follows: In favour of granting licenses, 2858; for no-licenee, 2725. A POLICY OF NEGATION. • WELLINGTON, December 17. The Wellington Licensed Trade Defence League passed a resolution appre-'-.iating the efforts of those opposing prohibition at the recent polls, and regretting that some feeling had been shown by a few enthusiasts on the license side, and also that clergymen took part in the fight for prohibition. The view was expressed that the trade is being carried on by honourable; men and women, and that the cause of good citizenship is not promoted by attacks on their names and reputations. The league believes the results of the next poll will be even more satisfactory when the people generally realise that prohibition is not a promoter of temperance, but a mere polijy of negation and destruction. ASHBURTON RESTORATION VOTE. ALLEGED ROLL STUFFING. CHRISTCHURCH, December 12. At the meeting of the Chrietchurch Presbytery in St. Paul's Schoolroom this morning, the Rev. R. Wood moved: " That this Presbytery expresses the deepest satisfaction at the growth of temperance sentiment and opinion as shown by the immense majority cast for national prohibition at the recent poll."* He said that the national prohibition vote had come as a grateful surprise in view of the strenuous. efforts made against the reform in many quarters. The 'ha-ndwriting was on the wall so' far as the liquor traffic was concerned in New Zealand. The motion was seconded by the Rev. J. J. Bates, who said that the large vote for restoration in Ashburton was due to the fact that the electorate had been flooded with outsiders He had it on 'very good authority that it had been stuffed. When he recently visited Ashburton he saw a

number of "stone brakes" about the town and in the Domain.

The Rev. Dr Erwin expressed his pleasure at the high polling for national prohibition, and said that efforts must be concentrated on obtaining not the bare majority, at least the 55 per cent, majority, which many candidates and members appeared to be willing to concede. The attempts made to explain away the national prohibition vote were amusing, and the weakest and most futile was that contained in a leader in The Press, in which it was argued that the electors were confused by the issues and voted in error. Surely errors of that kind would not be confined to electors who intended to vote against national prohibition The Rev.' R. Wood said that the advertisements of the liquor trade and the statements of its paid representatives had been such insults to the intelligence of the people that they had tremendously assisted the prohibition cause. The motion was carried unanimously. NEW ZEALAND'S HEAVY VOTE. ATTRIBUTED TO WOMEN. SYDNEY, December 12. The Daily Telegraph states: "There is ground for believing that the heavy prohibition poll in New Zealand is a significant illustration of the working of the women's vote. The drink evil particularly injures women as a sex, because of its effect upon their male relatives and homes. Women are the natural keepers of the community's social well-being. Hitherto the actual effect of the women's franchise has been in doubt, but a full sexi&e of responsibility is now evidently gripping them in regard to such an issue as prohibition." INTEREST IN AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY. December 17. Fair Play, the liquor trade's journah states that it would be simply folly to attempt to discount the significance of the prohibition poll in New Zealand. It was the most serious political event that ever happened in these States. With the majority they appear to possess, the prohibitionists can coerce Parliament into doing what they are pleased to regard as good for them. That these people will follow up their advantage goes without saying. The whole civilised world will watch with interest the working out of this strange situation.