"MAJORITY RULE."

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14838, 2 December 1913, Page 8

"MAJORITY RULE."

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE TRESS." ~; Sir, —Reading in the leading columnst; of "The Press" this morning you.? quotation from the Dunedin "Starßand its references to the recent;.; "stonewall," I am reminded that, d&-:; spite tho Opposition's contention that! the majority must rule, thero is not;»j member of the Liberal Party in t__f Houso of Representatives to-day, ynjtk* tho solitary exception of Mr J. <_.;. Thomson, the member for Wallace,- wbo-v can claim to have been elected by; a j] majority of the electors of the district; he is supposed to represent. Tho fact:; is easily* verified by a reference to the-.; advance sheets of the New Zealand. Official Year Book, pages 296 to 300? (Part 11., Section VII.). The only;; other members of tho Houso who we«K; returned by an absolute majorityOOf.f f. tho electors at tho general election of < 1911 are the Prime Minister (tho Ho_;:-i W. F. Massey, M.P.), who secured;;. 3779 votes out of a possible 7010, and" tho Hon. W. Herries. Minister of Rail-,.; ways, who polled 3790 votes out of a-;; possible 7236. Mr Thomson received;": 3152 votes out of. 6037. the possibly-: total. Sir Joseph Ward, in Awarua,?. polled only 2893 votes out of a possible; 6218, whilo th© Reform cam"_dnte 4 in - the neighbouring electorate of Invert: cargill. although receiving 3069 votes, j failed to secure election, and twelve) other candidates, who woro defeated iif: 1911. nolled over SOOO votes, receiving, nnvthing from 100 up to 500 votes morel; thin Sir Joseph Ward. So much for| tlie much vaunted boast of the,-; "Liberals" that "the majority musts rule." —Yours, etc., _-_-.-,-.£ Reform elector., \g December Ist. : :y