CITY ELECTIONS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 32, 1 November 1918, Page 6

CITY ELECTIONS

BEQUEST FOE PROPORTIONAL , REPRESENTATION. A deputation from the Labour Representation Committee waited on the City Council last evening respecting the movement to have proportional -.representation applied to city elections. Mr. A. Pnrlane said that the Labour Representation v Committee, wished the City Council to apply the system of propor'tionalvi'eprcsontation to city elections. The system had been tried in Christchurch, and Mr. G. Hogben, M.A., had gone there to watch the working of the system. Mr. Hogben said that wherever proportional representation had been tried it had proved very successful. It secured to every section of the lommumity just the representation to which its numbers entitled it. This was bis experience of the working of the system in Tasmania. Christchurch, and other places. The only system which could be compared with it was that known as the cumulative vote, but it lent itself to manipulation. The expense would be very little more than that raider - tho present system.' The Hon. T. W. Hislop and Mr. V. J. O'Regan also spoke in support of the recmest. The Mayor said ho proposed to ask thp council to come to a decision in the matter at the next meeting of the council. The council would deal with tho question on tho broadest lines possible.