THE LICENSING POLL.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1920, Page 5

THE LICENSING POLL.

A CONFUSING POSITION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Jan. 9. With reference to the Sydney cable reporting the Rev. Mr. Hammond's remarks, the Rev. Mr. Dawson, necretary of the New Zealand Alliance, says there must have been some confusion in' the minds of the Australian organisers when they left on the day after the poll, as there was in the. minds of many others. On polling day there was a good deal of confusion in regard to absent voters' permits from no-license electorates. In several electorates deputy returning officers refused to give those absent voters two voting papers on national prohibition and local restoration, which, of course, applied only to no-license electorates. It lias been revealed at an official count that 163 persons did not get the local restoration paper. AUSTRALIAN COMMENT. Sydney. Jan. 0. Speaking at a welcome tn Alliance delegates who returned from New Zealand'after participating in the prohibition campaign, the Rev. Mr. Hammond said numbers of alleged informal votes had been wrongfully put aside. The liquor trade wan so strong in New Zeah'.nd that Ihev were able absolutely to cloud the issue in April and December. Tie concluded that the energy of Prohibitionists somewhat lagged in December as they were suffering from a sort of war weariness, but in spite of these setbacks prohibition was coming in New Zealand and the next tight there on this issue would probably be the last one.