COUNTRY QUOTA

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 228, 23 June 1944, Page 3

COUNTRY QUOTA

Views Of Chamber Of Commerce

“To depart from the existing position would be to invite serious difficulties, said the president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Mr. F. nilson. at this week's meeting of the chamber, when the importance of retaining the country quota in the electoral system was emphasized. Members endorsed the aetion of the Leader of the Opposition in drawing attention to the danger of the country quota being abolished. Mr. O. G. A, Horne suggested that they should take serious notice of the timely warning given by the Leader of the Opposition. “The system,” he said, “has been in operation since 1881, aud since 1889 the quota has been 28 per cent. That is to say. 28 per cent, is added to the’ rural population so that the farming population may have adequate representation in Parliament. If Mr. Holland’s fears are well grounded, there is cause of alarm, because the disappearance of that adjustment would upset the balance of representation in Parliament that it is designed to preserve. It would give the city electorates a preponderance of power over the country electorates, and give the primary producers only a small voice in the conduct of the affairs of the country,” Mr. S. W. Peterson said that in 1881, 60 per cent, of the population lived in the rural areas and 40 per cent, in the urban areas, When the last census was taken in 1936, 40.4 per cent, lived in the rural areas and 59,3 per cent, in the urban areas. “If the country quota, was justified in 1881, when the bulk of the population lived ift the rural areas,” he said, “it is still more justfied now, when the bulk of the population lives in the urban areas.”

Mr. M. G. C- McCaul said the basis of the Dominion's industry was in the rural areas, and it was vitally important

that there should be n system of voting that would ensure the predominance ot their interes s in Parliumeut. "Otherwise,” he added, “we would have before us the danger of the least responsible section of the community ruling the country in such a way that they would finally injure themselves.” Mr. Sinclair Carruthers suggested that any expressicn of opinion on the country quota inevitably opened up the wider issue in the trinciple of ‘one man one vote.” That principle was generally accepted in democracies, but If it were thought wise to qualify it in the interests of national stability the question arose as to whether the country , quota was the most intelligent way of doing so. Personally, he doubted it.