WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

EL lit TO HAL REFORM. AIR MASSEY’S OPTIMISM. [Special To The Guardian.] WELLINGTON, duly 2d. Parliament has not yet been taken into the confidence of the Prime Minister in regard to his contemplated eleetoral reform and daily inquiries at the Minister's f.liice have elicited no information. Of speculation there is, of i nurse, abundance. Perhaps the safest guess is-that Mr Massey will propose a system of preferential voting in the present small constituencies. This would lie equivalent to the adoption of the late Hon Robert McXah’s Absolute .Majority Hill which would have made sure of the representation oi local majorities. hut would have effectually excluded local and national minorities. This system never appealed to Air Soddon, with his overflowing majorities, nor to Air Alnsse.v. while he appeared to I, ■ gathering strength as his predecessor had done. Hut tunes have changed with the multiplication of parties and and suh-parties and it is quite conceivable the Prime Alinister is now disposed to seek safety in the avoidance of vote-splitting. As a matter of fact the Keformers, judging from the number o| “minority representatives” in the present House, suffered less from vote-

splitting at the last general election tiuiii did the Liberals and Llie Labourites. But the two parties in opposition ti. the Government were so hopelessly divided among themselves during the contest that no very confident conclusion can he drawn from the figures. AY AXT FI) ROTH WAYS.

The “Post” suggests, what is obvious to everyone, that Air Massey would like to have preferential voting in single country constituencies and proportional representation in grouped city constituencies. “Reform opposition to proportional representation,” it says: “has been so strong that wo cannot expect a sudden conversion to this system. Jt is lo be noted, however, that the reasons for Reform opposition have arisen chiefly because of the difficulty ol applying proportional representation to country electorates. It lias been argued liv the Reformers that ii could not lie applied without abolishing the country quota (upon this point the Liberals have differed from them) and that country electorates would become so large as Lo make it impassible for single members to become known throughout the area. Wither of those objections applies equally to the urban areas, and indeed, iho Reform opposition lias not taken nun h account of the towns. Possibly if proportional representation could he introduced in urban electorates alone, members who have hitherto opposed it would become converts.” Most certainly they would. Assured by preferential voting against vote-splitting in the country districts, and hy proportional represental ion against being over-whelmed in the city electorates the Reformers would enjoy advantages which might keep them in nilico for another decade. LAST WORD WITH LAROFR.

This, it; will ho remembered, is the scheme which Sir .Joseph Word propounded in his til St manifesto before the election of MHO and promptly withdrew when its llagrant defect was pointed out; to him. As things turned out the election of that year, had it been ladd under proportional representation, would have given Ihe Liberal and La--I,our parties a substantial majority over j he Reform Party, in spite of the handicap Sir Joseph's scheme would have imposed upon them. In the constituencies there was a. majority of nearly It 10,000 votes against the Government and vet when the new House assembled Air Massey and his colleagues were found to have an advantage ol ten or • I dozen votes oil a no-eonlidence division. That, mod, more tl.no tlm election of last year, has brought home to th«‘ puhlk* iho noeil 1 oleo torn I reform. H probably will rest with the Labour Party to decide the fate of the Prime Alinbter’s proposals whatever Ihcv may he. The Libera,s. sneaking generally, are quite sincere lit their demand for proportional representation. hut in their desire to obtain some measure ol reform they would •»- cent the half loaf of preferontia voLjim rather than go without bread altogether The Labourites, on the other hand, will have nothing but the whom loaf and will reject any smaller portion that mav he altered them. Till’, COUNTRY QUO [ A.

Nine-tenths of the diflieulties in connection with the Dominion electoral system are created hv the existence ol t!„. “country quota" wTiich. in lorn.. ,o'ves seventy-two people rending in a rural district the same measure "I representation in Parliament as that allotted to one hundred people residing m district. This travesty upon tie democratic professions of the c»uu-M-v was enacted, as a temporary measure. hv Sir Robert Stout between forty ~,,,! |;ftv years ago. and has become sm h aintent part of the elector:, machine that neither Rolormers no. Liberals have dared lo propose its reThere is no other British (ounlrv nor anv other constituency governod country in the world. Urn makes smh a distinction between urban a • rural electors. Of "ourse. ' continued growth ol provincial tow n the quota will gradually disappen . ami meanwhile it will place the rural electors in such ennsl it Henries as Aapi and AYaiiganui at a disadvantage; but members of Parliament ol all H. colours, in fear for their po itical soul. . still protest that the Vandal who would lav sacriligious hands upon Hus las., privilege must pass over their blot <- in<r bodies. And so proportional iiircsentatioii. which Mr Massey had described as the most equitable system o election yet devised, must be d, la> I till the rural elector wakes up to fact that the quota is little hotter than a delusion and a snare.