PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1847, 5 September 1913, Page 2

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SOCIETY.

—. —$ ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of tlio Proportional Representation Society was held last" evening to receive the annual report and elect officers for the coming year. Sir. P. J. o'Regan presided, and there was a faijv attendance, Tito report stated that tho past year had furnished ample evidence of the steady growth of public opinion in favour of proportional representation. :Aftor referring to tho advance Jiyado Jiy/jilto,.sioyeinont abroad, ; tho report : 'sa.yslJio introdaictioii by the Government of ,a measure to make tlio Legislative Council elective by proportional representation must bo regarded as a gratifying sign of tlio times. From a praportionalist point of view, the Bill before Parliament is a great improvement on its predecessor of last year, and whatever may botho fato of tho measure tho fact of its introduction cannot fail to stimulate interest in the great principle on which it is based. Although it is unlikely there will be any change in the electoral law tliis year, it appears to bo a foregone conclusion that a Bill for tho abolition of tho second ballot will bo' introduced next year, Few will now bo found to defend the second ballot, but tho, system it roplacwl is at least no better, while tlio absolute majority system—that _is to say, single member constituencies without preferential voting —necessarily involves the disfranchisement _ of niinoritii.es. Advocates of proportional representation, therefore, rfiould mako it clear that, _ no _ matter wihat Parli.v nient may decide in the near futuro, no system can bo satisfactory tluit fails to provide for the adequate representation of all tlio people in tho councils of tlie nation. . The election of offioers for the ensuing year resulted as follows .—President, Mr. T. W. Htislop; vice-presidents, Messrs. P. J. O'liognn, D. M'Laren, A. R. Atkinson, and Professor Pickeni; lion, secretary, Mr. M. J. Mack; committee, Messrs. E. P. O'.Donnell, A. H. Hindniarsli, M.P., F. Castles, L. F. Pnlsford, W Hampton, T. Warren, It. Cameron, F. T. Moore; It was decided to write to tiho Hon. R. M'_\ T ;i.b and ask him to address a public meeting on the question of proportional representation at an eaily da to.