THE LICENSING POLL

Otago Witness, Issue 3402, 28 May 1919, Page 25

THE LICENSING POLL

MORE SOLDIERS' VOTES. WELLINGTON, May 21. The troops on the Carpentaria voted as follows on the licensing issue:— Continuance 485 Prohibition 80 The troops on the Arawa voted thus: Continuance 507 Prohibition 64 The totals are now as follow: CIVILIAN VOTE. Continuance ... 232,045 Prohibition 245,700 Prohibition majority ... 13,655 SOLDIERS' VOTE. Continuance 30,854 Prohibition 7,467 Continuance majority ... 23,387 COMBINED VOTE. Continuance 262,899 Prohibition ... 253,167 Continuance majority ... 9,732 THE ALLEGED CABLE. SYDNEY, May 21. Referring to the Rev. R. S. Gray's denial of the allegation that the New Zealand Alliance had received a cable inferring that there had been manipulation of soldiers' votes at Home, Mr A. Bruntnell, M.L.A., states that the Rev. Mr Dawson, general secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, received a cable and read it to him (Mr Bruntnell). This message declared that the soldiers' vote did not represent their true feeling, and there had been some manipulation. Mr Dawson left hurriedly for America, and may not have shown this cable to Mr Gray. Prom what the Rev. Mr Gray says it is evident that there has been a complete misunderstanding of the position in Australia. Before the referendum a vote was taken at Codford Camp, which resulted against prohibition. The New Zealand 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.