ELECTORAL BILL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1901, 8 November 1913, Page 8

ELECTORAL BILL.

REPEAL-OF SECOND BALLQT. A PROTEST. The ) Hin F" M B FISHER moved to introduce itho Second Ballot :Rcpeal BiU Sir Josoph Ward asked tho Minister i to say what tho Bill contamcd. Mr. Fisher: The Bill. contains the repeal of tho Sccoiul Ballot; ■ Sir Joseph-Ward: Nothing else?. ... -Mr. Fisher: That Vis all. : SIR JOSEPH :W r ARD: "This is a deliberate. attempt to deny a majority of the; peoplo .of this country their" undeniable'right to return members of Parliament'by a majority vote. It is ■ a' political bare-faced attempt to try to creato-minority representation in this country. , Hero, is a Bill, introduced in '. the faco' of the ; fact that tho Government have declared time and again this session that.they propose, to introduce an Electoral Bill, and without giving tho Houso the slightest outline of thoir intention' of what electoral reform is .to be brought down, they '■ commence by .way of the introduction of the repeal of the Second Ballot. I want to point but what that means: it means that if

the repeal .of the Second Ballot Bill, a. (Bill comprising 22 clauses, is carried by the. Government no further electoral reform is necessary as far as they are concerned." 'Die height of their ambition, lie continued, seemed to be to be returned by a minority of the people. '■> Sir. Massey: To remedy your mistakes. ■ . ' ■ . ; Sir Joseph Ward said the Government were afraid of tho majority of' the people. (Laughter and crios of "No.") Mr. Buick: No more unholy combinfttions. ; Sir Joseph Ward went on to accuse the Government of having perpetrated a subterfuge, declaring that the Prime ■Minister had gono back on his own statement urging proportional representation. Mr. Massey: Not for the Lower House.

. Mri.Russell: You're afraid of it. v ., , Mr. Massey and othersVNo; Sir Joseph Ward said lio did not know that proportional representation would'bo a good- thing \in' tlio Lower House. Ho wont on to; profess surprise at-tlie action of tho Government in bringing, down this Bill. Mr. Fisher: You. are always getting Burprisos this session. , ' Sir Joseph Ward accused tlio Governirtoiit of being afraid to ."trust tho people. , , • Mr. Fisher: Thay don't, need police protection,'.anyway;- ■ • Sir Josepli Ward said that he objeoted to tlio repeal of tlii Second Ballot yrith*

put the- replacing, of it.by; _ something els?. Tlio people, he maintained, would not go back to minority Ho likowiso declared that the Govern-, ment would' not. havo got into power but for tlio Second Ballot. However,.lie still declared that- tho . repeal, of- tho Second Ballot wa's a political trick, lie urged tlio Government to. explain tlio necessity for the repeal of tho Second Ballot. .'

Mr. Massey: You will get'it on the second, reading. ,¥ ', ' .... , . Sir Joseph .Ward.: You,haven't, got it there., yet. i : ':;'.• Mr. Masse?:. But isvo'll • get it .'there. ... Sir.. Joseph : Ward: \ You ,ato„a long way from it. Ho also.'.thrcatened.that, tho. ihb sajje ot tho Bill to tluv'ntmost of their ability.'. They.had,''iiv fact, been saving; their'"energips: for.- -'this - 'great' '"oii • tlio-,'...'Electoral Bill.: Again ho. v accused > the,'' Government ot being '.afraid."'of.';','th'eV' : -\peop]e;' Mr. Fisher (laughing): ' You are- tho right olio to talli of being' afraid of the people. :. ..- , y Sir ; Joseph Ward, again and again,', upbraided tlio Government oil . as lip .said,' afraid-;t» ."trust tlio people, hut his' indignation ;*madq.;rib impression "on GQyeriiment.'members other thanto ]irovoke frequent chuckles, and even peals of laughter.i Other Members' Views.. Mr. T. M. WILFORD (Hutt) 6aid,ho proposed to address himself-. to another phase' of this question:,, because he did not believe, and had never believed, in tho Second Ballot. .' Ho - declared that the Prime Minister was not ''game" to introduce proportional representation in New' Zealand, because under it more Labour members would,bo returned.

Mr. T. K. SIDEY (Dunedin South) also , opposed,, the reversion to the old systom,-of-election. Ho was no lover of the Second Ballot : system, but he pre-' ferred. it to the old system, andhe preferred preferential voting- to I 'both of them.. ." -. ..Mr. A.'E. GEOVER (Auckland Central), boasted that tho Second Ballot, was of no concern to him, as ho had been for the last two elections , returned by the largest majorities in' New 'Zealand. - Ho would like to- see something'substituted for the-Second'Ballot.'-' ■ • ■ Mr. L., 'M. ISITT North), declared that, though the Government had promised to produce a new method of election when theSecbhd Ballot was' repealed; ,'thcro was no new' method disclosed'in,this Bill, He espressed'his grief that .the Minister of,' Marine should have, brought. ; dowri ■ such ■ a Bill. He was sorry .that he had'broken the injunction'that the' ox and .'the ass should not be yoked together. ■ '•.'.,' ~

. -The F.-M.. B. Fisher, (who had. just'talked-'across from the other side of the House): That's why the ox came over, hero, and 'i left . the. ass there. (Laughter.) - vi'... ''' •; Thfe Hon'.-D. BTJDDO (Kaia'pCji) said it :',w^s. political 'tiriiidi.ty. on the jpart of tho Government to'refuse to go to the country, on the •!sanle' terms ;-as they went at last election.■■ ■-.- - ,

.^Mr.-G. W: -RUSSELL-' (Avon) - exI pressed'his'utter surprise" . that the Government should propose a Bill-which' would put' back the clock of progress, by -reverting to a system • of . ejection which-,- woiild not - ghje > ito- tho : opinion .of. the .nation, glad''to • ske iproportional- representation' in • lo'rge;xbtistituehcies., jijtro'dtjcedj cause he thouglit' it'wpuldi'bring about-a more-fair'representation of all classbs,of the people than, any other-rii'ethod. iAt ,tho same time he recognised tlia.t there were difßculties in .the way .of introducing ■ proportional representation in a young country like. New /Zealand,- where : the population wals scattered, and where tho coiistituenoies. would therefore require; to. bo very'largei va- .(■■. ' "Obstruction." ; 'The debate continued until 5.30 p.m., and, according to usual practice, the motion should have lapsed. At 7.30 p.m., however, theiHoii. W. F. Massey. '(Prime ; : Minister) that} the' <itUr ; orders of the day bo postponed, until after the' debate on tho motion to in-

troduco. the ; Second Ballot Repeal Bill, was..concluded.. This .'.motion Sir Joseph : Ward, proceeded to. debate, amid crws of '.'obstruction." He assured m'embers'on tho Government side that if they got on to -the repeal of tlip Secolid Ballot Act that night: that they would be there until midniglit on Saturday. \(Cries of ''OhI") Ho was Mot going to let it go through easily, ' - •'

Members one after the other went on to speak on the motion to postpone the orders of the day, and many of-them found great| difficulty iji speaking on •such a question for half an hour. They [all. contrived to do"it,- but' "tlie debate iwas';the mbist obvioils'obstruction'; .. Thp Waste of Tlma.. Mr. C.' E. Sfatham,(Dunedm Central) rose at ;10;45:'p.m:'" to protest-against the. waste of time by the. Opposition. It was unusual aijd unnecessary : fo'r mem-, hers t<). speak on a motion to introduce a Bill, aiid. such motions? usually disposed of m'a few_ moments. '. lii s'tjfK .port .of. his,, contention, .he* quoted from*. Haiisard • certain.: statement's '■ of '' Sin Jbseph i.Ward, 'inadei !iii similar' circum-, stances, ..to-, the..effect that- ifc was unusual; to: speak on' the introduction" of, a'; Bill:.;' .

•t The House went to a division '.on the Prime: Ministers . at 0.40 A a.m. •; The motion'.was 'carried by 34 votes "tOi''22.. ; 1 . After announcing the result of the division," Mr.- Speaker, said--that, Us itwas_./after- half-past twelvo,. : no:' .new' business could bo taken,,and the motion for leave; to introduce the Bill could not, thereforo, be proceeded with. • PUBLIC REVENUES. The! Hon. W. F. MASSEY moved that tho amendments made by the Legisla-tive-.Council in the Public. Rovenues Amendment Bill bo agreed to.' ■ SIR JOSEPH WARD objected to tho amendment made in tho Upper House giving tho High Commissioner power to sign Treasury bills,.;and send them where .ho chose. This ; power, he contended, should be exorcised by the Minister of Finance alone. Tho Hon. W. FRASER said the power would be exercised by the High Commissioner «only on the instructions of tlie .Minister. • Sir Joseph Ward called a division on the motwii,. which was carried by 32 votes to 25.' ACCOUNTANTS BILL. : The amendments mado bj. the.Legislative : Council in the ' New Zealand Society of Accountants Amendment Bill were, agreed, to., i Tho Houso rose at 0.45 a.m.