WELLINGTON NOTES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 September 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON NOTES.

ELECT'D HAL REFORM. THE LEGISLATURE AMENDMENT BILL. (Special to “Guardian”.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 31. Judging from the criticism that has already been directed against the Legislature Amendment Bill, which was distributed on the concluding day of the session, the Prime Minister did well in postponing his attempt at electoral reform to a more convenient season. The Bill, as everyone knows by this time, aims at instituting proportional representation in the four large centres of population and preferential voting in all the other •constituencies. ft proposed to make the city constituencies smaller than was generally anticipated by those who took any live interest in the measure. The Auckland constituency is to consist of Auckland West, Auckland Central, Auckland East, Grey Lynn and Parnell ; the-Wellington constituency of AYellington North, Wellington Central, Wellington East, Wellington South, and Wellington Suburbs; the Christchurch constituency of Christchurch North, Christchurch East, Christchurch South and Avon; and the Dunedin constituency of Dunedin North, Dunedin West, Dunedin Central and Dunedin South. The amateur reformers expected that the Auckland constituency would include nine of the present city seats, the Wellington six, the Canterbury six and the Dunedin five. Tliis, however, is a matter of no immediate importance. It is the principle of the Bill, rather than its details, that have to he. discussed during the recess.

HALTING APPROVAL. At one time or another during the las four or five years all the local papers have expressed their approval of the the principle of proportional representation, hut so far the “ Dominion ” is the only one of them that has ventured to offer any comment upon Air Massey's proposals, and its approval, if approval at all, is a little lialtiiyr “It is agreed almost universally,” it says, “ that the political conditions which have arisen in this country necessitate some change in the method of electing members of the House ol Representatives. A remedy obviously must be found, if possible, for the vole splitting which told heavily against the pnrties of moderate opinion at the last general election.” This confession of faith is encouraging so far as it goes, but it rests on the fallacious assumption that the Labour Party at the last general election profited largely from vote-splitting at the expense of the Reform and Liberal Parties. As a matter of fact the Reformers obtained, as nearly as can be calculated on the assumption that Ihe election was fought oil strictly party lines, practically the precise amount of representation to which they were entitled by tbc number of vovtes they polled, while the Labour Party seems io have taken only the fraction of a seat from the Liberals.

SADLY PERPLEXED. But the “Dominion” in its obvious desire to take a broad view of the matter, finds itself sadly perplexed. “ Although the aim is to ensure majority rule,” it observes, “any such system as the Legislature Amendment Bill embodies must tend to establish unsettling eotiditio.iis of group politics. Though it is intended to provide a remedy for vote-splitting, plural voting is bound t" encourage the formation ol political groups. The new voting methods proposed will be apt also to lead to undesirable political bargaining. Taking everything into account they cannot be expected to give such a clear-cut indication of the will of the electors ns is obtained, in the right conditions, from the system of straightout voting. At the same time, the fact has to he faced that in the present state of parties, moderate opinion throughout the Dominion is being split to the advantage of extreme opinion, as represented by the present Labour Party.” Some of this is a little incoherent, lint the suggestion that proportional representation and preferential voting would make for political bargaining is simply ludicrous. I hey might give the electors it wider selection of candidates, but they still would have only one vote to exercise.

OTHER OBJECTIONS. The chief objection to the Prime Minister’s scheme of electoral reform from people who would welcome almost any change from the .present system is that it provides different systems ol voting and representation for the cities and for the smaller towns and country districts. The zealous advocates of proportional representation would take the measure of reform offered them eagerly, in the hope and belief that the system speedily would become universal. But the members of the Labour Party already are objecting that proportional representation in the cities and preferential voting iu the country districts would place them at a. distinct disadvantage, since, owing to the necessarily uneven distribution of. their voters they would lose representation in the cities without any hope, ol compensation in the rural districts. The exclusion of populous suburbs from the grouped city electorates, they say, would aggravate this evil. If Labour should take its stand on this objection, to the Bill it would have littile chance ol reaching the Statute Book. The Reformers are admittedly divided on the question and some of the Liberals are not particularly anxious for a change. In all probability Labour would til) the scale.