UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1649, 16 January 1913, Page 7

UPPER HOUSE REFORM.

A. WEST AUSTRALIAN ' VIEW. ■- Interviewed :in Wanganui, tho Hon. W. 1). Johnson, Minister for Public Worts in. West Australia, touched iipon. a mattor- which is of peculiar interest to Now Zealand, at tllo present time.;. . "In West Australia,? ho 6aid, "w© unfortunately havo a Legislative Couiicll elected 'on. a. property qualification, and while, we (tho LaTx>ur : Government) havo a 1 majority in tlio ; Assembly cleoted on adult suffrage, the Council,, who represent only a section of ' tlio electors,' are nblo to veto legislation," and they (exercised this power pMtty freely, last session. There is .no doubt the Government will endeavour to do what I uhderstiind Mr. Massoy proposes to do in New Zealand— havo our Council elected on adult suffrage, under proportional representation., I, havo been told that. tho ; Labour party of New Zealand do not altogether view with favour this proposal of Mr, Massey. as they coiiksider that tnaking. . each Island nn electorate' is altogether toft large, aii<J, an election Will bo, beyond the pocket of 4 Labour candidate. But .tehilo thero, is a littlfl in this argiltilnnt, I would point out that tho Solvate in. tho Federal 'Parliament is elected ,by the whole.'State, and in actual ,'practico \v6 have found, as Labourites, that we win more seats in tlih Scnato thfcti'.vre do in the smaller constituencies .ih the .Ilouse of Reprc seiitatives. In fact, We find that, what . wo lack in finance wo moro than mnko up in our organisation. I feel sure New Zealand-Labourites will havo tllo same experience.''' Mr. Johnson, speaking oil the system of voting ih vogue in West Australia, said that the preferential system ' is, of course, an' improvement on the second ballot, but there aro still weaknesses in it. and it is the intention of the Lalxmr Government to adopt a voting system on the proportional representation basis, returning fivo men from cach of ten electorates. .