WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1931, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS

ELECTORAL REFORM. OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSIDERATION. (Special Correspondent). ' WELLINGTON, September 14. The Prime: Minister on behalf of the Inter-Party Economic Committee, having requested the newspapers represented in the Press Gallery of tbe Bone of Representatives to refrain frijjsd speculating concerning the deliberations I '-,of the Economic Committee until it submits its report to Parliament, the time may be opportune for the waiting members of the House to consider more seriously} than they have done for many years past, the subject of electoral reform. The subject was revived in one of its ospects in the House last week when Mr H. G. R. ‘/Mason, the Labour' member for Auckland Suburbs, sought the second reading of his Local Elections and Polls _ Amendjment Bill which sought to give local bodies authority ito e ini ploy

almost any system of election they pleased. The Bill received some little attention among the back-bench-ers. but it aroused no enthusiasm and after receiving the courtesy of a second reading was rejected in committee on its short-title by a. substantial majority. Electoral reform cannot be achieved by patches. : .MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE , ■ SYSTEM. • 'That, there is urgent need for reform in this respect has been demonstrated over and over again, but rarely so strikingly as it was by the general electiop ■ ,of 192p ifl? and 1928 which, already hate been analysed in these columns. . Now the annual. report of the Proportional Representation Society. is , available to throw some additional light upon the proceedings and atmosphere of the Ullswater Conference, which, consisting o. a member or both Houses of Parliament and of members of all three political parties, was set up to consider proposals for reform. During the sittings the Conference debated the merits of proportional representation) and several witnesses were examined. Ultimate-

ly the Liberal section of the Comerence submitted a proposal to tbe efifj feet that any change in the present W'. syfcteim !■ Joff- parliamentary elections 1 shoiiid iridliide proportional represent i!.. ation with the single transferable |P vote. This proposal received the sup■Plsport of the Liberal and Conservative . representatives numbering thirteen, jiiijWt it was opposed by the eight Lab- !■]. *piur representative®. .'This ,mea{nt of i|i ; course, the-failure and the dissolution ’slhotfjthe Conference. {; antiquated system. ■ihi m '

,In these days neither New Zealand

iior the Home Land will have much ■j:'’. tiriie to spare to electoral reform, hut i ,> ' i 'lfefih^ J -ay?btq„ keep pace with other • countries in Jheir national develop-. % they both will have to advance • ! r i with l the progressive crowd. High in. the Mother Country are " 'stbiying/ towards'' this end. , “At the commencement;;; of ; the Ullswater, Contcrenge,’’ .declared a> member of- the conference speaking in the House ot Commons only ... a few months ago, “my own personal opinion was sti>ng-

ly opposed to proportional "" " : tion; but I came to the conclusion that ... . if it is the desire of Parliament and the country that the House should be an accurate representation of the different strengths and shades of poUtjc;al,.feeling no other system is of the system that can possibly produce that result and the only system which can give any sane protection to minorities.” Another authority declares that a general election to the House of Commons .under, the existing system is nothing more than a gamble. LEADING THE WAY. That proportional reprsentation is neither a mere fad nor a temporary experiment is shown by the number oi_ progressive .countries and parts 01 progressive that. have. tried it and jQhndj.it to the sibtfcetor is to the Univer-, ..sify members of ; the. House of Com r . andithd'Natiphfll Assembly of the Country, like behind the pro-, this respect. Among .coil have shown her -way .ajceVtffe.Jj’ish Free State, Tas•mpiia;, ' .South Africa, South West jpjpjfca; \ 'Mamfobajyf Denmark* SwitzerlaiAdf- Finland, Germany, Sweden, cHp&nd, Austria, Polantr Japan- dozen others less pro-minent-geography. In the UnitecT States many of the largo cities! including;'.Cleveland with its . 800,000■ people and : Cincinati \with its 400,000 people, have , linked up with the system, while 7 .its; ardent supporters claim that when His Majesty the JCing proclaimed at the Indian Round Table Conference that he had “the just claims-jof majorities and minorities in \miridVthe was thinking of proportional <representationi b .. < ■ ; ,