PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 533, 14 June 1909, Page 5

PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

.^^;;;; V -;';;A:TIOTOMAN,;BILL.. . -' (Br TSLEQEAPH—PEESB ASSOCIATION—COPTBIGHT.) ■ ; ,_";. '■'..-. 'V Melbourne, Jnne 12. /The-State;Cabinet has decided to include preferential voting in ita Electoral Reform Bill.; , ; '2':y:-':- : - [ :\.''.y y \.-.j •V^; , '-'-.' "A TRIUMPH FOR THE PROPORTIONAL ;.\v;'>;■..;.■,..■ ;i ■. idea." - ; ; .;• ';•■ .. < THE '.TASIIANIAN EXPERIMENT. :. ■ .Prior to and during the Tasmanian elections the Hare .system..,of preferential, voting' (or Hare-Clark, ns they call the'.Tasmanian variety) came in for considerable criticism. But, since then, there has;been a;good deal said in its favour. A Hoba'rt'message to the Australian papers, dated'Afay s,'States:— ; ; "On the whole it may be said that the Hare system has returned , , the best men of- two parties. V.;' The labour 'vote' 'was-cast' with .discrimination, and the errors of: pre-elec-tions were rectified in the ballot-box. ■'•■ Outside of Lab'onr; the electors went for character and ability, and unquestionably the ablest and; most, useful men.. In two or three cases new men iwho ability and judgment were generously .supported and elected: 'For instance,;two.new men, Messrs. Solomon and Bakhap, got in' near tie top of the , poll for Bass, simply because they proved amply;' in their. speeches . that they were competent to fill 'seats .in the Assembly. In the eame way Mr. Sheridan, a Labour candidate for Hobart, though not long from New Zealnn'd,-was readily accepted.. Another feature of the elections is the vote given. to Labour by electors outside of the. Labour ranks;' and Labour men- of standing were put at the top of the returns :by the combined efforts of : Labour, and antiSocialist.".; '•■•/.-".".■ ■ -■';■';''.''■. : ... .' Labour: Gets "Sympathetic" Vote. , -.-" ■' , Commenting on the Tasmanian elections,, the "Sydney Morning Herald" ' says;—" The large electorates" were themselves an. element of doubt; but the commonsense of the Australian elector, may be said to have been vindicated, ■inasmuch as it is admitted that the best men on ;l "either side have been iv,iirned.. Party. distinctions, as a matter of fact, do not seem to have counted, for very much, .while the syetem of electing six meii in a bnnch tended to discount pnrely local fame and local prejudice. Thus, Recording to'.the reports, Labour owes a great deal; of its success to, the 'sympathetic' voW. The modified Hare- system on the whole has' allowed .publio opinion to express itself with" much directness, 1 though the experiment is not- so conclusive a'tt it would havebeen.if tried on a larger scale with a few very clearly cut-issues in view. The counting of the. votes.is.necessarily a tedious operation, over a hundred counts, having to bo made in-some cases,, but'this need not trouble the elector..so long as he knows that in the end his'vote;will receive its full,value. ■, . ... Party , System'Not Destroyed. < "Perhaps the candidates deserve, a little sympathy, for ; they are. naturally unable" to form more than the-haziest notion' as to how they stand .untilf the. final counts.have been, made.: But-this is a trivial detail compared with the important business.of working an election-so that the mind'of the: electors really does etand revealed at its-close.. The. warnings of pessi- , iniste, , :that the' new' method would destroy tho 'party system, have not been carried'out,.■arid few informal papers have been received. On the whole, the" election is a triumph- for !the proportional idea, and will no doubt. supply enthusiasts with arguments/for.niariy'mbnths to , come. -There /is very little doubt as to. practical value, of;. the proportional syetem, whioh, it seems, incoming more and more into favour .over a very- wide-field; and .from the point: of view of scientific politics. we: cannot 'deny, that'it represents 'an. immense advance on ! .CTude .majority representation'."- '■•;-.';'-.-'. : : v