ELECTION MATTERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 34, 4 November 1919, Page 9

ELECTION MATTERS

* 1 WHERE SOLDIERS VOTE 1 ABOUT MAJORITY RULE "What is the position regarding soldiers' votes at the coming general election!" asked Sir Joseph Ward in ( the. House of Representative!! yesterday. "Are soldiers required to apply for votes in the district to which they belonged before .they left the country, or may they voto ill any district of New Zealand? It is stated that 500 soldiers now m Foatherston Camp are voting in Wnirorapa." < ■Mr. Massey: "That won't do at all. I s can sav 'No' to that. They mu3t vote f in their own districts." The Prime Mm- . ister added that there would be another opportunity to discuss the matter before | tho end of the session. The Govern- , meiit was anxious to give every soldier j an opportunity to vote, but ho must vote in the district to which he belonged. Sir Joseph Ward then asked if the , Prime Minister would give effect to a j statement he had made when repealing the second ballot that he would substitute ,1 better system with the object of preventing minority rule. The present system of firrt-past-the-post did not ensure majority rule, said Sir Joseph Wnrd. The electors had a difficult taskarid tremendous responsibilities in connection with tho coming election ami it would he exceedingly unsatisfactory if ' any party was ablo to secure a victory . through tho accidents of a faulty electoral system, when as a matter of tact, it did not represent a majority ot the electors. ... ~ , Mr. Massey: I quite agree with that. Sir Joseph Ward said he believed that the transferable vote would be the righ svstem in the circumstances. It would enable the majority to rule. The penpie of New Zealand could not foe expected to be satisfied with any party that was returned to power by a minority of the electors. There should be an. assurance of majority rule Tins was jus . as important for the Labour Party as for any other party. The Prime Minister said tint a„ long . as his political career lasted he would never forget what happened under the Second Ballot Act, He was not speak- , ing from a party point of view. His party, as a matter of fact, gained very considerably during tho time he Act wa? in operation. But. ha had known anything, so corrupt, or so tending to corruption, as the Trorking of this Act. He was not sure that svstem mentioned by Sir Joseph AVa ; ■ would he much b»f+«. it certainly IZ\A allow a candidate to be elected who was not. supported by a mnjoi >• There certainly would not be ti 110. to amend the general electoral law during Represent session, added Mr. Massey. . Some amendment would be »««!■« ; connection with the votes of the members of the Expeditionary Forces, and he honed that would be introduced duiinr the day He did not want to see a minority holding the reins of power in ■ tho Dominion. Honourable members knew that perfectly well. His views ~ere far too democratic for anything of that sort. But the remedy was for tno nconle to see that one of the greal.oarties' had a inaiorilv-and he knew which party km most likely to get 't. Sir Joseph Ward: So do I. (Laughter.)