PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1860, 20 September 1913, Page 4

PREFERENTIAL VOTING.

-c TASMANIAN SYSTEM. . • THE REPORT BY MR. MANSFIELD: Tho Chief Electoral Officer (Mr. P. W. Mansfield) lias presented a report to the Legislative Council with regard to tho system of election now in force, in Tasmania. In this State there' is a syf/syn of proportional representation', and Mr. Mansfield was sent there in January last to inquiro into its working. Ho witnessed! it in operation in several electorates. "Tho process of the count under the Tasmaniail' system," lie says, "is complicated and tedious, hut I followed it without much difficulty, and obtained a good insight into the method 1 , and brought back sufficient data, to enable mo to demonstrate tho system here." Two elections hod tho same result —tho return of' 16 Liberals and 1-1 Labour members. Tho smallness of tho majority was attributed to tho fact that cach of tho fivo electorates returned an even, and not an odd, number of members. Had each of tho constituencies returned: seven members, tho Liberals would have had a majority of live, although entitled', according to tho actual strength of parties, to a majority of only 3.2. After detailing at length tho working ing of the system of proportional voting, Mr. Mansfield says:—"Regarding tlio application of proportional representation to Now Zealand, thoro would lie no difficulty,' so far as the Parliamentary poll was concerned; but I see very great difficulties in the way of carrying out .i poll under tlio proportional system (which requires largo constituencies) simultaneously with tlio licensing and national prohibition polls. Tho, whole position would become excesdingly complicated, and oven if the process could bo made at all workable, tho risks of irregularities ill connection with, the conduct of the polls would bo very great. ... If it is decided to retain single-member constituencies in part or throughout tho wholo.of the' Dominion) I think the uso of tlio preferential voto (where thero aro more than two candidates) would prove much moro satisfactory than tho second ballot. Tho method in roitlity, for first and second ballots being conducted at one operation, and its adoption would not involve any disturbance in present electoral arrangements."