THE COUNTRY QUOTA

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 34, 10 February 1933, Page 6

THE COUNTRY QUOTA

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l have before me a copy ■. of the "Post" o£ 3rd December, 1931, giving details of vottng'.at the. 1931 General Election, and have credited the high exchange supporters -with, the votes they were accorded, and also the anti-high exchange supporters with' the votes that they received. . In the case of four M.P/8 returned unopposed I, credited them with, the 1928 votes. I did not have figures available for the Maori members, but their votes are^ so small in numbers that they can be safely neglected—besides they did .not all .vote the same way. -: The results I have arrived at (after neglecting tens and units to get a quicker count) are that the high exchange supporters represent 180,800: electors, •■■whilst the anti-high exchange supporters represent 188,800 electors.- In plain terms this means that New Zealand did. sot want a high- exchange by at least 8000 votes, 'and even this does not take .'into account the fact that, a good number of the Government members who changed their minds and voted with Labour had pretty, healthy Labour votes against them. ;••

It is easily seen how this^undemocratic state of affairs is brought about when one reflects on the operation ?of_' the -country quota, which, gives the country districts a 28 per cent, advantage, over town and city areas. Is it-mot about time1 tjlat the country quota- was abolished?—-Tam, etc., H. G. RICHARDSON.