THE SECOND BALLOT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2303, 23 September 1908, Page 1

THE SECOND BALLOT.

A BLUNDERING GOVERNMENT (Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, Sopt. 22. There is a good deal of speculation ns to w'liat will bo tho late of the Second Ballot Bill, It is generally admitted that in this matter tho Government has blundered, and a hope is openly expressed by several of their supporters that tho Bill will vet he dropped. Tho present House, however, is so utterly subservient, that if the Government say the word llio Bill will bo agreed to by a considerable majority. -Of course, the Premier has a -good excuse at hand should he wish to drop the Bill. He himself put in the live hundred majority clauso, and the Council knocked it out, Tlioro is, thorel'oro, room for a disagreement and that- is often an effective method' of jettisoning political goods marked “dangerous.” It must not. however, bo forgotten that, though tho Prime Minister put in the clauso in question, his Minister in the Upper House' agreed to strike it out. Wo must therefore cast about for tho reason for this sudden and somewhat strange change of front. Two possible reasons for tho change occur to one. Tho first is that tho ’ Government wished to abandon the Bill and prompted the amendments in tlio Oouncil with that object in view. Tho second reason that suggests itself is that on going over tho list of candidates the Government found tbit the five hi (ml red majority clauso would act prejqdieully in their interests at tho coming election, and that they still wish to pass the Bill but minus tills (clause. Politicians within the parity, who ought to know, believe that the Bill will bo proceeded with and passed. In that case the second hypothesis is the one tiiat must, for want of any other valid explanation, bo adopted. In addition there is, of course, the trouble about the “gag” clauso. A further trouble has arisen in connection with the _ seamen’s vote >as with tho intervention of only a week between the two elections many seamen will he disfranchised at tho second ballot. The more one thinks about the Bill the more injustifiablo it seems to be, and the “gag” proposal is the worst feature of all. Prominent Liberals admit tint it would be sufficient to wreck a Ministry, m any case where parties were nearly evenly balanced. They also point out that the Council’s attitude in regard to it is another strong argument in favor of an elected Upper House. However, in a few days now we may be in a better position to judge what tho fate of the Bill will be.