POLITICAL

Hokitika Guardian, 6 July 1926, Page 4

POLITICAL

ELECTORAL PROBLEMS. WELLINGTON, July -• Electoral problems, varied and interesting, were discussed in the House on the presentation tins afternoon if a report containing details of the gene- j ral election polling. The difficulty of j South Island representation was a pio- ] minent subject. j Tito Government was asked by Mr Forbes iT it intended to make any improvements in the electoral system, though he added it was futile to suggest to a party with .so large a majority that the present electoral method should be altered. There was compulsory voting, however, and the control over expenditure of funds by general organisations. Money contributed in that way should be the subject of an official return. He was not going to say that the Government party spent £400.000 (at last election, but if this was the figure it hardly squared with the amount of work done. The Prime Minister: One argument the honourable gentleman lias not used is the increase in the cost of living, and whether the £2OO limit should not lie increased. Mr Forbes thanked the Premier for his point, with which he agreed. .Mr Glenn ( R.mgitikci) asked what was intended to be done in connection with probable changes of seats in bolh islands. As far as he could see the census figures would have an effect on some unfortunate member from the South Island. It was rather unSiir and uncalled for to put any particular member to expense and inconvenience, possibly by having to move his homo because of electoral changes. NO CHANGE IN VOTING SYSTEM. “The policy of'the Government does not include 'any measures for the introduction of. proportional representation” said the Prime Minister. “No legislation will ho brought down in ibis Parliament to alter the electoral system will regard to preferential voting. Now South Wales has given the other system a trial and has gone hack to the first-past-the-post system, although it would he incorrect to say that that system is perfect. I think Sir Joseph Ward was quite right when, he said that the present system did not allow of a third party, ■and I don’t think that it should. To-day there is only room for two parties, and the best that could happen would he for Liberals and Nationalists to join up with the Government and give them a hand. (“Hear, hear.” from the Government benches). ft is quite true that there are always dangers and difficutlies besetting a big party, and nobody expects to got through without disappointments of some kind. However, party government is party government, and one cannot servo two roasters. I believe T was elected in this House purely as a non-party man, and it took me a long time to realise that you could not get anything effective done by individual effort without teamwork. I must say that, I view with great alarm any (attempt to reduce flic number of South Island electorates,” added Mr Coates. He thought it would be ideal if the population of the South Island were to mfiintain an equal pace with that of the North, but unfortunately one could not expect that. He thought the Minister in charge of the Electoral Department would do well to take into consideration the suggestion that hud been nnule. It would be most unsatisfactory to see the South Island lose a seat simply because the North Island had gained in population. At the same time, he did not think that any system of fixed representation could stand. ELECTORAL MINISTER’S VIEW. “Wo cannot help feeling sorry that such a" state of affairs lias come about in the South Island,” declared the Hon A. I). M’l.eod, Minister in charge of the Electoral Department, in opening his references to the position of South Island seats. The .difficulty was, be said, due to changes in population, but he did not think for a moment if Cook Strait did not exist that the question would ever have arisen. loc southern portion of the North Island might have .exactly the. same grievances against Auckland, which was getting all the new seats and now 1 eld one-third of the total representation in the House. When he analysed the matter he found it very difficult, and he was not, able to say that the .Government bad come to any definite conclusion, though it would review the position before next general election. As for large-sized electorates, there were several in. the North Island \\hich were larger than those of the South so far as population was concerned. New Zealand had been fortunate in adopting an automatic system of redistribution of scats, and if they gave way and adopted any other system he was sure the results would be evil. In Queensland there were 40,000 electors returning twelve members, while 60,000 other electors returned only four members. The Government in office was supported by ten out of the twelve members from the first-nam&d group. Legislation had been prepared on on* or two small electoral matters, but no final decision had been arrived at on the larger questions of electoral legislation.