POSTING RETURNS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16908, 6 December 1922, Page 8

POSTING RETURNS.

“ TIMES ” AND “ STAR ” RESULT BOARD. SCREEN FEATURES PROMISED. The ” Lyttelton Tinier ” Company has made extensive preparations tor displaying the election results and the details of the licensing |x>ll to-morrow night. As the returns are received hom every electorate- in the- Dominion they will he shown on a screen in Lout ol the ” Times” office and the Liberty Theatre in Cathedral Square. In this v.'ay the crowd will lie kept posted with the very latest news more quickly than the results could he posted on the huge rbsult board in front oi the Beresford. THE CENTRE OF ATTRACTION. The ‘ Times ” board has always attracted the great mass of the people of Christchurch and tho suburban districts on election nights, and very complete arrangements have been made, not only to keep the crowd posted with the results, but to provide them with entertainment during any lulls there might be in the receipt of returns. Photographs oi most of the candidate? will he screened, together with photographs of returning officers and well-known Christchurch citizens. CANDIDATES’ SPEECHES A cordial invitation is again issued to all candidates, whatever their political colour may he, to address the crowd from tho platform of the result board. The final results from the city electorates should bo received shortly after eight o’clock and the speeches may be expected to commence about nine o’clock. At past elections practically every candidate for tlve city and suburban seats had addressed the crowd flora the ” Times” platform. TH E ELECTOR A L R ETUR NS. The details from each polling booth in Lhe three city electorates and in Avon and Lyttelton will be posted ou the board, also the results from every electorate in the Dominion. The results of the licensing poll in each electorate will be posted on the board and the total votes cast fori each issue —Continuance. State Control and Prohibition —will be indicated from time to time. LICENSING RESULTS. The same thermometer-like contrivance at the right-hand side of the result board which was used at the last election to show how the' licensing issue is faring, will be used again, but in order tq avoid long delays, the system has been improved. Under the headings Wet, State and Dry, red white and blue lights respectively, set opposite figures ranging from 10,000 to 220,000, will be lighted as each return sends the respective totals soaring. Tho figures will go up by 5000 and 10.000, so if the voting is close it will be seen clearly which issue is leading in popular favour. THE “ TIMES ” HOARDING. The board for showing the Parliamentary election results will be practically the same as that used in 1919. The bottom deck, measuring 54 feet by 6 feet, will be worked from the outer platform, and the two upper deck? (p 4 feet by 12 feet) will bo manipulated from behind. The board contains forty panels that swing loun I on hinges, avoiding the necessity of using ladders. Tn this way there will be very little possibility of portions or the boards being obscured from the public. The North island results will be posted along the topmost deck and the prominent space along the middle deck and the. lower deck nearest to Colombo Street has been reserved for Canterbury returns. The whole screen with the sign above will be 54 feet long‘and. 21 foot 8 inches high, and there will be plenty of room for an adequate display of each return . WHEN RETURNS EXPECTED. The country polling booths will close at six o’clock and the first returns are due shortly alter that hour. The city and suburban polling booths close at seven o’clock. Progress reports will be shown from each electorate prior to the receipt of the final results. The position of parties will be indicated from tima to time as follows:—Reform, Liberal. Labour, .Independents. The term*, Wei., State. Dry. will be used to denote the issues in the licensing poll. An improvement this election that will be welcomed bv the public is that the names of the electorates are being shown in red ink and the candidates’ names and the figures in black ink. Humorous comments on the returns and a number of political cartoons will be screened during the evening. TRAMWAY ARRANGEMENTS. In view of the great crowd which will be standing in front of the ‘‘Times’ result board, the tramway authorities have arranged for the New Brighton and St Martins trams to leave Irom the Post Office, instead of from the Beresrord corner.

It is important for the public living in the suburbs to remember that the las.t cars for all the terminals will leave the Square at 11.10 p.m. as usual. No late cars will be run on any lines.