Methods of Election.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16417, 10 January 1919, Page 6

Methods of Election.

The people who favour the election of the City Council by a system of preferential voting have been talking as if the Council's decision to revert to the old system were a deadly blow to human freedom. Very shortly, we expect, they wi'Jl have rcached the point of speaking of "stabbing Democracy to tho heart," and all that 6ort of thing; and wo havo no doubt that they will induce a good many simple-minded folk to believe that something terrible has happened. In the meantime they have begun a campaign of public meetings and resolutions, with tho object, apparently, of stampeding two or three of the majority in the Council who are opposed to preferential voting. Tho general principle of proportional representation is not at stake, thbugh the minority in the Council would have the public believe that it is. As a method of electing members of Parliament this system las some good points, but one may quite reasonably admit very great merits in preferential voting at Parliamentary elections, and yet prefer the old system of simple voting "by wards for city council elections. Party, divisions in general' politics are inevitable, since there is no limit to the scope of Parliamentaiy activity or to the interests affected by or affecting the work of tho General Assembly. But the main business of the City Council—almost its whole business —is tli<s administration of the. city on business, 'lines. More than nine-tenths of it 6 work is concerned with matters of administration and finance, upon which party divisions in tho ordinary sense need not exist. If it attended only to the duties proper to it, there would be no need for any party divisions except those which separate prudence from extravagance in the matter of finance. Whatever may be urged in favour of preferential voting at Parliamentary elections has no real application to the local case. What is required in our bodies of local government is far less the of aJJ the parties that may be encouraged by a fancy voting system to take a hand in the struggle for seats than the election of men, of no matter what party, who may reasonably be expected to bring good judgment to the Council table. Tho old system of simple yoting for ward representatives served the city's needs quit© as well im this respect as ihoy have been served by the complicated voting system that gave us the present Council. In ,tho long run, the old system would serve tho city best. At present tho elector is faced with an enormously long list of candidates, ing most of whom he usually knows little or nothing. Accordingly he votes, in very many cases, almost 'at haphazard. The election of i 917 showed this pretty clearly. If the now 6ystcm became fixed in use, the parties would bo forced to ooncentrate on educating tho electors to "vote the ticket," and tho result would be that the elector's vote would not be guided by his judgment as to the merits of individual candidates. Under the old system tho electors did enjoy tho opportunity of voting for men in their own districts of whose qualifications they could not help knowing something, and a Council so elected would be likely to bo more truly representative than one elected by a process of mechanical marking according to a ticket. And we venture to say that on the whole and over a period of years it would be also more likely to handle the city's affairs efficiently.