THE POLITICAL TANGLE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1928, Page 3

THE POLITICAL TANGLE

A FEW POSSIBILITIES

THE PARTIES

(By S.S. in the “ Lyttelton Times.” i

With some fifty thousand absentee, postal and seamen’s votes remaining uncounted at the time of writing, if would he futile to attempt more than a superficial review of the parliamentary general election, which has formed the chief subject of discussion throughout the Dominion during the week. Some days must elapse before the final figures will he available, and then, probably, the politicians will occupy a month or two in interpreting them. This is not to suggest that the Prime Minister and his colleagues will delay the inevitable until it is thrust upon them. By no means. The time may be opportune to remind the public tlml when Sir Joseph Ward came hack from the constituencies in December, 1.911, with his Liberal majority reduced to vanishing point, he did not advise his Excellency the Governor-General to call Parliament together forthwith t<• determine the strength of the parties. Me took that step in February of the following year. Then the casting vote of the Speaker—given, of course, on strictly conventional lines—saved the Liberal Government for the time being, Hut- when the House reassembled ii> June. .Mr .Massey, having made good use of the interval, came into his own. and remained in possession of theTroa urv benches until 1 1 is death, twelve years later. Mr .Massey himself, in 1922, had an experience somewhat similar to the one thrust upon Sir Joseph Ward, however, and when he called tion of that year the country had sent him hack with a minority, save for the fidelity of three Maori members. He was a better tactician than Sir Joseph aWrd, however, and when lie called Parliament together in February, ]f)23. to decide In's' fate, the problem was solved hy two Liberal members, who crossed the floor of the House rather than lie associated in the lobby with the Labour Party. Of Mr Coates ii in si v salelv he said that he will not linger superfluous on the stage.

MI NOB ITV R ERR ESENTATION

Meanwhile it is informative, if not larficul.irly edifying, to liml Horn the returns already available that the Dominion’s clumsy electoral system st.il is producing its inevitable crop ol dfs•onlent and injustice. 01 the twentythree constituencies in the -Auckland electoral district, for instance, no fewer than seventeen will he represented in he new Parliament hy candidates who have no mandate from a majority of the electors. The United candidate for Auckland East won the seat with -:<)■>* votes, notwithstanding the fact that his. two opponents polled 5917 votes between them. The Labour candidate for Auckland Suburbs was elected by 1046 votes, while 6090 votes were cast against him. The Reform candidate for Waitemnta—who. hy the way. is a staunch supporter of electoral reform was returned to his old seat by 4231 votes, while lus two opponents repsesenting the wishes of G 24 > electors wen ignored. The 3661 voles cast for Dm United candidate for .Marsden countec' For more than did the 4429 votes cast for the Reform and Labour candidates ;,ut together, and the 3167 votes cast for the Reform candidate for Gisborne for more than the 5568 cast for the United and Labour candidates in that constituency. The flagrant- innistice of the present system of representation in Parliament is triennally illustrated hy the elections of Maori.mem hers. Of course the contests in win ' Sir Api ran a Ngata and Sir Maui Tnnnre figure are conducted with all Dir ritual appropriate to the high standing of these worthy knights in ti e community. Opposition in their ease is introduced merely to emphasise, its im potenee. But the election in the Southern Maori constituency is simply a ludicrous travesty of popular representation The electors drop in as thoj please and indicate their preference verbally. At the recent election. M> T Makitanara, a United candidate, headed the poll with 198 votes, just one in front of Mr Tirikatene, described as a Ratanaite, while five other candidates followed with polls ranging from 162 down to thirty-three am bringing the opposition to Mr Makitanara up to 620 votes. Surely by this time it is due to the Maori people admit them to the mysteries of th ballot and to the advantages of secret voting.

HOW THE PARTIES STAND

Until the fifty thousand absentee. postal and seamen’s votes have been counted it will he impossible to deteiniine precisely the relative strength of the contending parties; but meanwhile the trend of public opinion ifi indicated by the returns which already have been’ unofficially announced. These jtcord. subject to minor corrections 207.163 votes for the Reform Party. 230.154 for the United Party. 187.253 for tie Labour Party and 14.351 for definitely unattached candidates. These figures under a system of proportional representation, applied only to the European election, would give the Reform Party twenty-eight seats in the new Parliament.’ the United Party twenty-five seats, the Labour Party twenty seats, and the Independents, assuming they voted together, one seat, while the destiny of the two remaining seats iTOXfld depend upon the distribution of

candidates’ surplus votes. It looks at present as if the United Party were going to capture more seats than it is ■Mititled to by the number of its votes, but on the whole the distribution of scats promises to be more equitable than it has been on many previous occasions. At the. last general election the "Reform Party with 317.584 votes captured fifty-three seats, while Labour with 184,616 rotes captured thirteen seats, and the National Party, with the assistance, of Independents, only ten. One of the remarkable features of the recent remarkable election is the extent to which the rural constituencies have exenanged their representation lrom practical farmers to others than followers of agrarian pursuits. The most conspicuous instance, of this tendency is provided by the Wairarapa electorate, where the Minister of Lands has been exchanged for a city resident whose associations with country life must be almost forgotten, even bv himself. However, .1. judge that the three Ministers of the Crown who have been relieved are not greatly perturbed by the chance that has befallen them. One of them, in acknowledging my inquiries concerning his health, ronlied with the laconic observation, “Blessed are the dead. They rest,’’ and so we reach an appropriate ■onclusion.