LOCAL OPTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 3130, 9 December 1899, Page 3

LOCAL OPTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMABU HERALD. Sib,— We desire to draw attention to the fact that as far as the licensing poll m the Timaru district is concerned, and m the present state of the law, no party has carried any proposal, and the contest remains a drawn battle, The law requires an absolute majority of the voters who have recorded their votes to carry either the reduction or continuance proposal, and a three-fifths majority to carry no-llcense. According to the present returns available 4190 persons voted at the poll, 1983 being m favour of no license (a number of theße voting upon the issue of reduction as well), 193 voting for reduction only and 93 votes were treated as informal. If the 93 informal votes are deducted from the total it leaves 4097 valid votes. This would require 2049 votes to carry continuance or 66 more than were polled. By the Act of 1895 the Returning Officer must declare no proposal carried and things remain as they were, This is distinctly an advance for the No License party m Timaru district, and though they cannot claim a practical victory, they can a moral one. At the last poll continuance was carried by an absolute majority of 195. The present poll shows a minority of 66. In other parts of the colony there is a decided increase of the No-License vote. In 3Z districts there is an increase of 11,045 votes for No-License, 8742 for Reduction, whjle there is a decrease of 941 for continuance m comparison with the results of the poll of 1896, As a party we have no reason to be crestfallen, as the votes at the present election imply that for No-Lioense, it is only practical victory delayed. I am, etc., William C. Woodward.