CITY ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2907, 20 October 1916, Page 6

CITY ELECTIONS

WHAT SYSTEM?

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION SUGGESTED ■

AN ADVERSE REPORT

Reoontly a committeo was set up to consider a request by tho Labour liepresentation' Committeo ' to "tho effect that the proportional representation •system should be used in the municipal elections in tho city. Tho committee, consisting of Councillors A. It. Atkinson (chairman), J. Puller, J: Godber, J. Hutclieson, M. I' 1 . Luckie, L. M'Kenzie, and A. Veitch, reported to tho City Council last cvoning as follows :—

"TII9 committco havo to rcjjort that they havo given careful consideration to tlio' request of tho Labour Representation Committco that tho council adopt tho provisions of tho Proportional Representation (Local Elections) Act, 191-1. Tho report of the Now Zealand Chief Electoral Officer -upon the working of tho system of proportional representation in Tasmania, which was submitted to the Now Zealand Government, was examined, and an inquiry was made to tho Christchurch City Council. Tho Returning Officer (Mr. James Amos) reported to tho committco on tho matter also.

"Tho committeo is of opinion that it is not advisablo to introduce tho system of proportional representation iu the elections of tho Wellington City Council."

At tho requost of tho Special Committee the City Returning Officer (Mr. J. Ames), made a report as follows: — "I have the honour to report that in accordance with your instructions I havo carefully perused the Proportional Representation Act, also Mr. Mansfield's report, and although I will not say tho system of voting for the election of councillors is impracticable, at tho same time .it would, in my opinion, prove a most ponderous method if _ arriving at the result of such an 'election, and tho change from tho present system would not prove satisfactory to the electors. If it was an election of councillors only, then it would not perhaps be so difficult to conduct, but there are three otlior elections conducted on the same day, namely, Mayor, Harbour Board, and Hospital Board. There would bo two kinds of ballot papers and two systems of voting. The ell'cct would be that tho elcotors would get very much confused in dealing with the ballot papers, and the result would be numerous informal voting papers. It would, I am sure, take the ordinary elector much longer to record liis vote, and that would mean ail increased staff and extra polling places. One of the greatest troubles would bo in obtaining a staff capablo of conducting tho election. Tho officers would require to havo a. proper grip of tho law to bo able to advise and instruct voters how to_deal with their papers. After tlio poll if staff of moro than ordinary intelligence would be required to compute the result of the poll, and tho filial result would not be known for several weeks after.

"Tho cost of the election would be at least from £500 to £750 over and abovo tho present cost. After carefully considering tho whole of tho circumstances, I am not prepared to adviso tho committee to rccommend tho council to adopt the Proportional Representation Act. I think it would be better to wait until the system is made moro simple." Tho council did not consider the question right awqy, but deferred consideration and decision until next meeting.

At a meeting of the Wellington branch of the Social Democratic Party, held last night at the Alexandra Hall, the following resolution was adopted: "That tlio Wellington branch of the Social Democratic Party strongly urge t'lio City Council to utilise their statutory powers to adopt ' the _ system of proportional representation in tho next election for tho City Council."