The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, DEO. 18, 1907. MINORITY REPRESENTATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2066, 18 December 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, DEO. 18, 1907. MINORITY REPRESENTATION.

It is sincerely to be hoped that Sir Joseph Ward will take some definite action in the direction- indicated in his speech at Wellington on- Monday night with regard to a promised change in our electoral laws. It lias long been one of the worst anomalies in our legislative system that a. substantial number of tlio members of the House of Representatives aro returned- in opposition to the votes of the majority of those- who -register their wishes at the poll. This state of affairs is brought about by the multiplicity of candidates, and this feature reacts in a most extraordinary way. Thus the very fact that there .is a strong--feeling in the country in favor of a change of government produces ji .number of opposition candidates which, logically, should, -increase the chances of an opposition party being returned to power. Yet under the existing system this very strength is a source of weakness, for the votes are split up amongst the candidates referred to, -whilst the government nominee -with united support, finds a comparatively small number of votes isufficient" to ensure his return. Of course-'.'this -unsatisfactory system works, both ways; and sometimes division iii" tlio Government ranks -gives tlio Opposition a victory that in equity it is not entitled to, but the fact remains that although at the last general. election there were 157,193 votes -recorded against -the government’s 200,886, or nearly To- per cent of 'tlie whole; Mr -Massey’s following in the House was littlo more than a score, or roughly speaking about 30 -per cent. The practical effect of this was .to reduce tho influence of the Loader of the Opposition to- such a degreo as to, render it a herculean task for-him to effectively oppose any legislation that to- him appeared undesirable. If the people want socialism let them have it by all means, theirs'will be the privilege of footing the bill, but when such a number as 457,000 odd indicatejby their votes' thu-h;white in, favor of a sane democracy they re--fuso to rush blindfolded into the consequences of every scheme that can be propounded by cranks and faddists, then it is -right they shall hnvo some substantial voice in tho conduct of tho country. Properly speaking there should be some provision for minority representation, for it is certainly a- tyrannous circumstances of our boasted democracy that when- 3000 people vote in -a particular -direction whilst 2999 vote in an op-posito manner tlioso who have a -majority of one should -have all the say in- enacting legislation whilst the -2999 are given aio voice whatever. The -position- of course, is a- difficult one, and while it may not be possible at.-tlie present juncture to improve on tho present basis of mnjorty representation it should at all events be -guaranteed that the system works consistently. It is intolerable that 2000 may elect a representative against the wishes of 3000, yet there were more than ascore of such instances iT-fc last- election. The reform necessary to remedy tliis anomaly.is one that the -pepolo have demanded for some years, but for reasons besbrknown to themselves the recent governments have refused to concede it. The lute Mr iSeddbn, after stalling off the agitation for many years at last, found .it too insistent, to be ignored, but with his masterly diplomacy, ho successfully evaded the issue during his last .Farliameiit-. This was by agreeing to it second ballot- scheme which- no one wanted and refusing to accept- the absolute majority Hill put forward by Mr. McNab. Under the second ballot system, in -any case where the highest candidate failed to secure an absolute majority of the votes recorded a second -poll was to be held a week later and the lowest candidates were to be eliminated from the second count. This would necessarily prove an expensive, cumbrous ; and unsatisfactory method of arriving at a decision. The general body of voters would probably abstain from voting on the second occasion and would leave the field open to political partisans, who would resort to all- kinds of schemes to bring about the election of their particular candidate. The opportunities for tho log-roller and Tammanyite would bo j magnificent in their scope. Under •Mr MeNab’s bill every elector at the. same time as lie recorded a vote for .

his selected candidate would ircgister votes' 1 for each candidate in the order of his preference. In- effect Jio could say:-—“I desiro to -see iM-r Jones elected, but if be cannot be' chosen I would prefer tli (t Ml* (Brown -should got in rather than Mr Williams or Mr Anderson.” 'Then in the event- of -the -highest candidate nob having an absolute majority of the votes recorded the polling clerks would them take into consideration the preference votes for all the- candidates and i.ii! -this way -a. satisfactory result could ho obtained 1 . This would involve a good deal of labor lor the officials, who would naturally take longer to make uj) the returns, but it -would be the only drawback. lUndor such a system every elector would know that his vote received its full value, or rather as -near to its -full value- as is possible under any system of majority representation. It is more than probable that Mr McNali has in his cipacity as Minister succeeded in impressing his views upon the rest of the -Cabinet, and that in tho near future- ho may see a. -reform that he -lias worked far for many years an accomplished fact.