OPEN COLUMN.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10129, 11 December 1911, Page 2

OPEN COLUMN.

; LETTER TO THE EDITOR. : THE LICENSING POLL. Sir, —iEindly i;Jlow me space in your paper to set 'before your readers a few fact® about the r-ecent Prohibition vote. Our opponents appear to think they have scored a victory. If they can .find any comfort in the following figures they, are welcome w it." Let the fact take hold of us that ths.' vote taken on the 7th inst. for Pro- \ hibition was the severest and mort drastic measure on wjbitih the electors of New Zealand ever had the right to vote. That any such vote given was with the evident intention of wiping "The Trade" out. No other' construction placed upon the Vote i« in harmony with reason. The exact! figures are not yet known; bu\ apparently they are as follows, viz.: j For Dominion Prohibition about! 3G6,000 as against 22i1,000 in I9o£ for a much milder measure. An increase of 15,000, which is about' 15,000 above the average vote for the previous 12 years; and 2i2,GGO greater increase than in 1908. The percentage too, is very high. In 19QS the vote against "The Trade" wns ' 53.3 per aen£ Now it appears to ' stand at over 56.5. The maijbrity' against "The Trade" now appears to ' lie F3.000 as against 3>3.331 in W'OS. Timt menus that there are 63,000 more of the electors who now want to prohibit "The Trade" than thoss who want to retain it. The Trade -will only enudfe. one more such yictoiy, even on a three-fifths vote, which is a disgrace to our Statute ifook. --I i ata, -etc., - . - i ] T. TteEOTIAIL. f