1925 First Prohibition Referendum

In 1922, State Parliament passed a law that would have seen the prohibition question addressed every five years. Section 60 of the Licensing Act Amendment Act stated that “in 1925, and in every fifth year thereafter there shall be taken a poll of the electors in every electoral district on the proposal that prohibition shall come into force in Western Australia.” The proposal could only be carried if 60% of all votes were in favour. Hence, on Saturday 4th April 1925 many of the good citizens of WA cast their votes for what was entitled the First Prohibition Referendum. There were 200,212 registered electors in the State of whom 118,475 (59%) cast their vote (remember, compulsory voting was not brought in until 1936).

The question was “Do you favour Prohibition coming into force in Western Australia?”. The Mount Lawley polling booths were, with the number of votes cast, East Norwood (shop near Mt Lawley Station – Cull’s shop; 563 votes), Lord Street School (623 votes), Raglan Road (Congregational Hall; 1,081 votes), and Ferguson’s Memorial Hall (St. Gile’s Church; 494 votes). The proposal was defeated 41,362 in favour to 77,113 against ie 65% of votes against prohibition.

This was the third of four votes that have been conducted in WA concerning Prohibition – the same number as “Daylight Saving” referendums! All the Prohibition votes have failed. So, what led to the 1925 Prohibition vote?

1911 Local Option Vote

The first Prohibition vote was on Wednesday 26th April 1911, when three questions were put…
Question 1: Should the number of licenses existing in the district be increased?
Question 2: Do you vote that all new Publicans’ General Licenses be held by the State?
Question 3: Are you in favour of State Management through the District?
The results were that Question 1 was voted down decisively 4,554 to 17,623 votes but Question 2 and 3 got up by 27,007 vs 14,378 and 26,631 vs 14,944 respectively.

At that time Mount Lawley as we know it today did not exist and the only polling booth was in East Norwood at a “shop near Mt. Lawley Railway Station”.

1921 Local Option Poll

Ten years later, on Saturday 30th April 1921, another attempt to introduce some sort of Prohibition control was put to the vote, asking:

Resolution A: Should the number of licenses existing in the district continue?
Resolution B: Should the number of licenses existing in the district be increased?
Resolution C: Should the number of licenses existing in the district be reduced?
Resolution D: Should no licenses be granted or renewed in the district?
Question 1: That all new Publicans' General Licenses be held by the State.
Question 2: That State management throughout the District be established.

The questions were somewhat complex and problematic as were the voting rules. From The West Australian of Saturday 20th April 1921, the following description “clarifies” the voting method, although not really sure how much it helps…

The elector must indicate his or her choice by placing a cross in the square opposite the issue for which he or she wishes to vote, leaving the other three squares vacant. Though the vote is thus a straight-out one, a measure of the preferential system is included owing to the fact that where “increase” is not carried the votes cast in its favour will be added to “continuance” while where no licence is not carried the votes cast in favour of that resolution will be added to “reduction”. A simple majority is sufficient to carry “increase,” “continuance,” or “reduction” but “no licence” will not be deemed to be carried unless at least three-fifths of the votes given are in favour of that resolution, in addition to which those voting in the affirmative must number at least 30 per cent of the total electors in the district.

The Mount Lawley polling booths were Guildford Road (opposite Mt Lawley Station – Spencer’s Chemist Shop; 397 votes), Norwood School (Lord street cnr of Harold street; 422 votes), Raglan Road (Congregational Hall; 783 votes), and Glenroyd Street (room at rear of St. Gile’s Church; 318 votes). There was also a polling booth in “Maylands, Inglewood” (393 votes). The outcome was the same – rejection of Prohibition.

1950 Second Prohibition Referendum

Despite a requirement in law that votes on Prohibition should occur every 5 years, the Second Prohibition Referendum took place on Saturday 9th December 1950, when the question was put “Do you agree with the proposal that Prohibition shall come into force in Western Australia?”.

There were now 307,980 State registered electors and of whom 284,423 (92.35%) cast their vote – the increase in votes cast being attributable to the introduction of compulsory voting.

However, again the the final result was no different: Yes = 73,361, No = 203,953 and Informal 7,100 giving a majority for No = 130,592. A rejection rate of nearly 72%.

By 1950 Mt Lawley had grown considerably since the first referendum in 1911; there were now nine designated Polling Booths in Mount Lawley. The Polling Booths and the number of votes cast were at Ferguson Hall, (St Giles Church; 876 votes), Perth College Junior School (707 Beaufort St, Samuel Copley’s original residence; 267 votes), Forrest Junior Technical School (now North Metropolitan TAFE; 1,496 votes), Congregation Hall (cnr Raglan and William Street, now a private residence; 376 votes), Mt Lawley-Inglewood RSL premises (Wallish’s Hall, 6 GrosvenorRoad, now part of The Elford car park; 1,688 votes), Truscott’s Store (204 Walcott Street; 303 votes), Inglewood State School (now Mt Lawley Primary School; 896 votes).

An article entitled “HEAVY VOTE AGAINST BAN ON LIQUOR. Prohibition Defeated By At Least Five To Two” in The West Australian of Monday 11 December 1950 included an interesting and ironic paragraph …

An inebriated elector on the hot day (the maximum temperature was 95 deg) broke all available lead pencils in a metropolitan booth in endeavouring to record his vote. Finally, he borrowed a blue pencil from one of the electoral officers. Voting is secret, but he was remembered when, in the counting of votes, a ballot paper appeared with a big blue "X" across both squares.

Of the many polling booths used in Mount Lawley over the years, very few have survived in their original form. Nevertheless, of the eight referendums on Prohibition and Daylight Savings, all have been rejected.