What About Invercargill?

White Ribbon, Volume 50, Issue 2, 18 March 1944, Page 1

What About Invercargill?

The licencing situation in Invercargill is the subject of much discussion lately in our Parliament. In 1905 the electors by a three-fifths majority voted their city “dry,” and at every election since it has retained its “dry” status. Hut we deeply regret that at last election the vote was reversed, and by a three-fifths majority

restoration was carried. W e are at war and the soldiers vote had to be taken at the various camps where our troops are stationed. As it was judged that if a man was old enough to fight for his country, he was old enough to vote for his representative in Parliament, a number of soldier

voters were under the age of twenh one When the final returns came in it was seen that the soldiers’ vote had turned the scale and given the three-fifths necessary to carry restoration. The test was hardly a fair one; there were no coin plete rolls that could be used tor a recount and scrutiny of the votes. The

army rolls did not have name of electorate where soldier resided, but only names and addresses of their next-of-kin. Consequently there can Ik? no certainty that all the soldiers who recorded their votes in Invercargill list were bona fidt residents of that city. Also many irregularities have been retried, and it is admitted that voting pa|»crs in one section were burnt by the returning officer; and reported that l>oys in another section knew nothing of election and never voted. The debate in Parliament upon the situation was interesting and instructive. The Government wishes for time to make up its mind to decide upon what new form of control of the trade should be adopted. Many members contended that the wishes of the electors at the ballotbox should I>e given effect to. This was only justice, but against this was stressed the impossibility of a scrutiny of votes when many were destroyed; and a'so the difficulty of finding houses which fulfilled the requirements of the law to obtain a license. A new form of liquor control was needed and now was an opportunity to test one out in Invercargilll.. A i*etitio;i was presented from Invercargill asking for municipal ownership and control, In support of this petition, one s|**aker at a public meeting in the city said: “You have a goldmine and it is in your hands. Are you going to let them take it away front you?" He asserted that if the right to sell liquor in Invercargill for the next twenty-five years were put up to auction, the sum of at least one million i>ounds would be bid for it. Surely a proof of the enormous power of vested interests. As no licenses can be granted until a licensing committee is elected, a Bill has been passed jelaving the election of the committee until a date not later than September. And so the question is still undecided.

May this example of jiolitical inter ftrcnce stiffen elector:' to vote this racedestroying, war-sabotaging j>oison out of the whole Dominion!