WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 May 1917, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

Municipal Folilics.

A New Era

(Our Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, May 4 Progressive people here who taka a live interest in munioipal politics profess to be highly gratified by the result of the Christchurch experiment with proportional representation. Of coorie, the great majority of them

have no sympathy with the anti-con-scription pluck in the official Labour candidate’s platform. That ierne, they claim, was conclusively settled by Mr Holland’s overwhelming victory over Mr McCombs in the couiest for tho Mayoralty. Mr McCombs had the advantage of being associated with every popular cry for municipal reform, while Mr Holland suffered under the disadvantage of being championed by ail the connervative elements in the community, and yet the aetiring Mayor was re-el-cted by a of nearly seven thousand votes. That, the progressives say, should silence the anticonscriptionists in Christchurch till thß end of the war, if not till the end of their days. EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION. Bat the result of the polling, the return of nine Citizens ” candidates, five Labour and two Independents, gives such an accurate representation of the party composition of the constituency that it makes the very strongest argument for the extension of electoral reform throughout the gOuntry. The smoothr.ejs with which the voting under the new system proceeded in Chrislcbutch is astonishing everyone. Some of the well-meaning people who set ont to explain to the electors the principles of proportional representation and the operation of the single transferable voie were not always conspicuously happy in their efforts, now and again their demonstrations tending to lead rather to coniusion than to understanding, hut the average intelligence of the electors stood them in good s ead and the mistakes they made in marking th-.ir ballot papers ap ear to have been very few indeed. It is not improbable, however, that a considerable nnoaber of electors are still in doubt as to j aet what happened to their papers during that unconscionably IODg event. SIMPLIFICATION Discussing this point a local advocate of proportional representation urges the importance of reviewing the eyetem of transferring the surplus' votes provided by the Legislative Uouncil Act before this suspends! measure for making the Upptr Hjuss elective is brought into operation. This part cf the Act is modelled on the Tasmaniaa system, in which refinement has been added t,o refinement in the search for absolute accuracy till the various processes can be followed only by ihe trai ed mathematical mind. Hid the system bsen employed in Christchurch ft the recant eketion the “counting” would still be going on. Tha system employed was a much simpler one, but there are many people with some practical knowledge of the subject who think even tbis too slow and complicated. The Proportional Representuion B il circulated by the'Hon George Fowlds six years ago followpd o'oseiy on Mr Hare’s original proposals and probably in praotice ic would have worked

ns weil as any of tho later moamres. EXTENDING THH PRINCIPLE. In the abseuce of Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward there is not much information to be gathered concerning the Government’s present intentiens in regard to electoral reform. Before the party truce Mr Masßt-y was for trying propoitioi al representation on tha dog, as it wore, by applying it to the Council bo'ore trying it in the House, while Sir Joseph Waid was for adopting it in both Chamber--*, But it may bo doubted Neither oE the leaders was very enthusiastic about tbe reform in any direction or in any degree. Their cjlieagu3S of let-day are not giving much serious thought tojthe subject. The late Dr McN*b was a consistent supporter cf proportional representation and in his Absolute Majjrby Bill applied the principle of the rMonn as far ae it could be applied to single electorates, which it is scatcdy necess.try to say, was not vary far. Tbe rest of tha Ministers an web co pent to bold their judgment in suspen e. Ilium

Sir J. Madden, K.C.M.G. ete., Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Justiceof Victoria, when delivering judgment in a case in which an inferior substitute had been pushed as “ just as good ” as SANDER’S EUCALYPTI EXTRACT, said Whenever an artice is commended to the public by reason of .its good quality it is not permissable to imitate any of its features, and he prohibited the offend'ng party from further substitution. When

using a medicine it is “ good quality ” that you want, and SANDER’S EXTRACT has the endorsement and approval of the highest authorities. Inhaled, applied locally, taken on sugar or in water as directed, SANDER’S EXTRACT is equally beneficial, because it is specially refined and prepared by Sander’s process and contains no harmful by-products. Use SANDES’S EXTRACT only when you desire good and lasting effects; no “ just as good.”