THE LICENSING POLL.

Colonist, Volume XL, Issue 8746, 21 December 1896, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LICENSING POLL.

So?rc misapprehension seems to exist in certain quarters as to the effect which the licensing poll must have in the Nelson electorate under the" existing law, and our contemporary the ' Evening Mail ' has misled its readers. We have not received information as to the result of the licensing poll at the Croixelles, but, as we made public by means of an extra on Saturday morning, the votes within the electorate save those recorded at Croixelles, showed that 2104 were in favor of existing licenses continuing, 1311 were in favor of reduction, and 1010 votes were cast for no license Now clause C of the Act of 1895 provides that " each voter shall be entitled to vote on any one or two of the proposals, and the voting shall not be accumulative " and a sub-section of clause 7 sets forth that " The voter shall strike out all the proposals on his voting paper except one, or all except two, as he thinks fit ; and his vote shall be deemed to be given in favor of the proposals which he does not strike out. Thus a vo er may declare in favor of a reduction and also in favor of no license, bat it is stimulated that " that the voting shall not be accumulative." Clause 8 provides in what manner the Returning Officer is to aeoept tbe votes. If he finds " That the number of votes rec rded ia favor of the proposal that the number of licenses existing in the district shall continue, i 3 an absolute majority of all the voters whose votes were recorded " then Buch proposal unless superseded as thereafter provided is to he deemed oarried. If, however the Returning Oifloer finds "That the number of votes recorded in favor of the proposal that the number of licenses existing, in the distrioS &hall be reduced is an absolute | majority, of all the voters whose vote 3 were recorded " then such proposal unless superseded, as snbsequent'y provided in the Act, is to be deemed carried. Under the third schedule of the Ac; the Returning Officer has to give notice not merely o! the number of vo ea recorded in favor of eaoh proposal, bat blbo of the total number of voters whosi votes were recorded at the poll, bat it is evident thai the Returning Officer cannot famish the latter statement until he has oiicially received the returns from every one of his deputies, j As however 2104 voted for a continuance of licenses and 2311 votes were caßt for reduction and for na license, and as ifc ib a wellknown fact that a great number of voters oaly etruok out the fi«t line in the ballot paper, it ii perfectly certain that the redaction vote has not been carried. As a matter of fact it may safely be assured that tha 1010 who voted so license also voted for redaction on the principle that they desired a partial viotory if they oould not- gain a complete one. On this assumption, according to present returns, only 3415 voted, and therefore thera was a clear majority in favor of a continuance of licenses, buti if all who voted for a representative — 3701— also voted without icformality on the Licensing qaest : on, still there W9S a substantial majority ia f ivor of a continuance of licenses, therefore it is dear tba 1 ; the electors hare called for no change.