WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 December 1922, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

EUECTORAL REFORM.

THE COUNTRY QUOTA. j SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. j WELLINGTON, Dec. 1. ■ Referrinf to tlu* question of electoral reform in the course of a conversation this morning, a former member of Parliament, who is taking no

active part in the present election, . expressed the opinion that the slow , progress made b.v proportional repre- ( sentation in public favour was largely j due to many of its-advocates fearing to propose tlic abolition of the “conn- j try quota.” The “country quota,” he | said, was a concession made to the ; rural electors more than forty yea i s ago, when they were comparatively few in number, widely scattered and poorly provided with means of coni- i munication. Since then they had had their numbers largely increased and prac-ticnllv all their disabilities removed, and yet they retained, their, privilege simple liecause no Govern-1 merit had dared to take it from them. The effect of the “quota” was that persons residing beyond a prescribed area of a city or a town received 28% more representation than did those ie-, siding within the area. In the case of a purely rural and a purely urlutii constituency, seventy-two people in the former roughly had the same representation as one hundred had in the latter. ANOMAI/lES. In no other constitutionally governed country in the world, this authority protested, ditl such a freak system of* representation exist. Ldtimatelv it would disappear here, through additional towns springing up and embracing the whole area o! the Dominion, but meanwhile the growth ot population was producing some anomalous results. Several of the bigger provincial towns, ior instance, had populations about equal to halt the number of persons required to constitute an electorate, say 20,00(1. The other half had to bo drawn from the surrounding rural districts. But in these districts 7,200 persons would count as 10,000 for representation purposes, and, assuming half- the population of the electorate were entitled to vote, the roll would contain the names of 7,000 town dwellers and of only 3.600 country settlers, thus placing the Reform farmers at the mercy nl the “Revolutionary Socialists” in the town. This was very much the position of Napier, Wanganui, and other towns at the present moment, and the] anomalies would go on increasing with I the growth of population. It would j not be impossible to preserve the country quota with proportional re-, presentation, but its preservation would entail the creation of a number of very awkwardly shaped constituencies.

AN ALTERNATIVE. This authority, it should he stated, is a believer in proportional representation, and smiles broadly at the objections raised against the system by Mr Massey and his friends. The cost of contesting the bigger electorates would lie liltlo more than the cost of contesting the small ones and il the system kept unknown and inexperienced men out of Parliament it would he so much the better. There were far too many unknown and inexperienced. not In say incapable, men in the House of Representatives at the present time. .Many of them were merely parish pump politicians, with no broader view of the world than they might obtain from their own hack doors and they fell easy victims to strong, over-hearing men like Mr Kcddon and Mr Massey who might turn them to any purpose they pleased. But. proportional representation was a long way off yet—just as a really democratic Parliament was a long way off—and people anxious for electoral reform should concentrate their efforts meanwhile on preferential voting in the existing electorates. This at least would prevent the wholesale votesplitting and iiiinoritv representation. PREFERENTIAL VOTING. It was generally thought in the House of Representatives at the time Air Alassey promised to substitute “something belter” for the second ballot, that ho had preferential voting -in mind. The difference between the two systems was rather a difference of method than a difference of principle. A\ ith tile second ha Hot, delay and expense were involved and opportunities for bargaining and intrigue were increased. With preferential voting the elector would complete the operation of voting on one paper on one day and Ids preferences would he ns finally cast as were his first choice. This was the system strongly urged upon Sir Joseph AVard bv many of his friends when he in trod need the Second Jlallot Bill and had he accepted their advice probably the system still would have been on the Statute Book and many heartburnings would have been saved. Afore [ban this, it would have prepared the way to some extent for the introduction of the bigger reform. The •marking of the ballot papers in both eases would have been the same and the electors experience would have finally banished the popular delusion that there is something extremely difficult and intricate in indicating the order of one’s preferences in plain figures.

THIS GENERAL ELECTION. PROSPECTS. WELLINGTON, Die 4. Probably never before since New. Zealand was uvantecl self-government has a general election in this country presented so many difficulties to the prophet, as does t'ho one to he decided on Thursday next. A month ago, while Parliament was still sitting, the ouidnunes were content to say that Air Massey would return with a majority a. least equal to tho one ho has commanded in the House during the last three years—twelve or sixteen, according to tho disposition of three or four doubtful votes—and that the only question to lie settled was whether the , Liberals or tho Labourites would constitute the stronger wing of the Opposition. But since tho members return to their constituencies, popular opinion as to the prospects of the contest have very materially changed and many of tho accredited prophets arc now predicting that Mr Massey’s ma-j jority will bo a very small one, and quite possibly not large enough to on- ! able the present Government to carry | on at all without tho assistance, or, at any rate, without the indulgence of tho Liberals. The Reformers themselves are admitting that the result is likely to bo much closer than they expected it to ho three, or four weeks ago. THE DESIRE FOR CHANGE It is not. easy to undesrtand what has brought about this change in tho outlook. Mr Seddou scored liis largest majority when ho was appealing to the constituents for the fifth time. This is only Mr Massey’s second appeal to them as Prime Minister and ho will require to win two more general elections to equal in this respect tho great Liberal Leader’s record. It cannot ho said, therefore, that he is attempting an unprecedented feat. There can bo little doubt, however, that there is a desire for a change abroad, and that a certain number of former

supporters of Reform will vote against j the party tills week for no more logi- j cal reason than the age of the present , Ministry. Even big financial and com-, mercial men who traditionally are , friends of Reform, have expressed ( openly the desire to see Air Massey’s • majority reduced, and the- Opposition sufficiently .strengthened to make it an j effective check upon hasty and ill-eon-jsideml legislation. These gentlemen are not expected to assist in the re- . i l Kiit if ig

ducing process themselves, but it is sieiiificant that locally they are taking, | no active part in the campaign for, “a strong but stable Government which has the maintenance of A r Massey’s present majority as its o.i-

30tt * CITY AND SUBURBS. On this occasion the Reformers are contesting the whole seven of the city and .suburba' ll seats, beginning wit Otnki and ending With Wellington Suburbs, and it looks on paper as if they would ho lucky to secure the odd

trick There are two Reformers m the field at Otnki and between them Air G H Al. AfeClure, a retired Commissioner of Lands, standing in the Liberal-Labour interests may capture, the seat from Air AY. H. *icM. Mi T AL AVilford is opposed by a Laboui and a Reform candidate in the Hutt and the- fact that ho has left liis friends to look after h.s own const - uenev while ho has gone out to fight the battles of his party, has won lmn ■i good deal of kudos and doubtless •some support. Air P. Fraser "ill probably bold AA'ellington Central for La- | bom” Air o. Aljtebell, Wel ington 1 Suburbs for Independence and r the I lugubrious Air R. A. Wright. Wellington Suburbs for Reform. Sir John Luke should triumph over divided Liberalism and Labour in AVellingtou North, but the Labour candidate at the i time of writing looks the most likely i of the four aspirants to succeed Dr ■ Xowman in the representation of Wellington East. | PREDICTIONS.

At the general election of 1919. forty-four Reformers, twenty-two Liberals. eight Labourites and two Independents were returned. This gave Air ALassov a majority of eight over all the other parties combined, and securing three of the four Afaori seats his advantage was increased to ten. Refactions from the Liberal Party practically increased lii.s numerical superiority to twelve or fourteen, and lack of cohesion in the ranks of the Opposition left his position unassailable. Setting aside all partisan estimates, which may he unduly optimistic or unduly pessimistic, acoerding to the purposes they are intended to serve, it seems not unlikely that the Reform majority will he materially reduced at tlio forthcoming election. The loss oi eight seats by the Reformers and the gain of four, would leave the Government with fortv-threo votes and the Opposition with thirty-seven, and although this intimate may not he acceptable to cither the Liberals or the Labourites it probably will he found to represent very closely the strength of tho two sides* of the House in the new Parliament.