POLITICAL REFORM

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1932, Page 3

POLITICAL REFORM

PRESS-BUTTON VOTES. A PROFESSOR’S SUGGESTIONS. LONDON, Sep. 16. Sweeping reforms .in* ! the House.' of Commons* [were 1 ,suggested- by Professor .Miles Tfalker“ (Professor; of Electrical Engineering- in Manchester -;U uiversity) when -he --addressed ) a meeting of the British Association at -York.-, ' “Gut down the number .of members to a iiuiiiber that can comfortably-sit in the, House,” he .said. “Give each an appointed-seat fitted...with an automatic 's£>§»/ -'■drug apparatus to; show the coustitueney -when its member is at work. ■ Each seat shcpld be provided witht"th;6" press' buttons' Tor . voting : ‘Ay)e’ or ‘Np’ (also re< aided). •' ’■ '<■ Let 'all Bills be circulated some weeks .be lore being .read and, all members! who. hg.ve ,anything to, say asked ■ to* dictate their remarks., to. a typist or - otherwise preparp Ahem. /These re.marks - are, then, sent, .to a staff, of- _ unddr-socretariesy who make a synop-sis;-of the whole. --- • - •

,“\yhert; a Bill comes tip for consideration ;an ofiieihl reads Clause No< l-and->says: .“Twenty..members«have said - so and''sh; 'eleven say so and so. As I against ’ this- fiftee|n' 'expreas--thrs view, • nine, express tne opposite view, and ■give the following reasonsln-fifteen-■minutes all members in the House will -have a better idea of the i pros and cons than if they had listened to* a c debate-"lasting many days. * *' “If any me pi her, is misrepresented by this synopsis ho won 1 d** have an- oppori ttmitv - of-emending -it/- hut woe- to, the ; member-, .who*. < takes u-p the time of the* House by any- unnecessary .remark's; Having fresh, in their minds the view i of--far*;more members than could nosjtribly, be . heard in a week of debating, 1 the question!-, is -then- put. ' Members press-the buttons and go'on to* Clause No. 2.- •*

“Do Not Know Their Job.’* -*;.(Va ty.f*» ,/• f«i'y '?*•*•". i.* ’’A! - “One of the tilings wrong with democracy < to-duy -is that its ! representatives come, to decisions upon matters about which they- .know •-(verylittle, after - long desultory .discussions. -The -listeners find these discussions very; s uninformative, and* 'theiKuvotes’ as a tirlp rare uiuiulhienccd - -by - anything--

that is-said. If these discussions could, be replaced- by short, clear synopsis ottlie pros and- eons put forward in an impartial way, 1 law-making would be very much more efficient. In the - past the engineers • have been busy wit.lv .their own jobs; They leave the making !Of the laws,- the controlling of the State and;the general management of things to the politician artd the tub- • thumper. “Tlie kind of mental training reqpur-l-ed to find the right solutibn of a diffi- | cult - econopiic problem is exactly the same as the kind of training required to tackle engineering problems. How many members of Parliament could solve a simultaneous • ’ equation with unknowns? And yet they are paid £4OO per annum to solve problems involving many more unknowns. How many of itpeifr have the most elementary ktiow- ■ ledge of the laws they are amending? i ' “Tbev are not enginecincr minded, land that is the reason why they make ia failure of State management. They [can talk, but they cannot do tilings ><iccess ? nl!y. They do not know their job - They liave nofc the minds that icanlthink ont intricate problems. They iliave not faith in the obtaining of ; good by logical procedure to that -end.’’ r