WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1932, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

MOTUEKA BYE-ELECTION.

“A FAMOUS VICTORY.”

(Special Correspondent).

WELLINGTON, December 5. It is refreshing to learn that after deliberate consideration all the parties immediately concerned in the recent Motueka bye-elect on are more or less satisfied with the result. The Prime Minister and his colleague were as gratified as the newspapers prolesscd to be. “The result shows,” said Mr Forbes, “that in spite of the country’s difficulties and in. spite of the’feeling about bad times, the people in the main recognise that Avhaiy tire Government is doing is sound work.. The vote is undoubtedly an endorsement of the Government’s policy.” Mr Coates followed in a similar strain. “The result of the election,” he declared, “is particularly gratifying to 'the Government. Every effort was put into the contest by Labour members •and yet the feeling of the constituency and the country was against! their party.” The fact that the successful candidate polled a minority cf the votes was allowed to pass unmentioned. LABOUR’S INTERPRETATION. The leader of the Opposition, quite appropriately reserving his observations until the annual ball of the Westport branch of the Labour Paity, 1 quoted figures to show that the successful candidate would be but a m nority member of tbe House. “The figures so fur ..available,” he told the glad throng, “show that 3,777 votes were cast for the Government and 3,953 against it, leaving the Government in a minority of well cn towards two hundred.”. This, of course, is approximately the position of the poll as it stands at present, and there is not likely, to bo any material change in the figures later on; but until the Labour Party really attacks the problem of electoral reform it cannot reasonably protest against a system it lias tolerated ever since it entered the political arena some twenty years ago. Should it start out on a reform of this kind it would not lack for support from other quarters. THE PRESS. I Both the Wellington daily pipers found in the result of the Motueka bye-election last week “a famous victory” for the Coalition Coverrment. “Hie' result,” said tbe “Dominion” editorially, “is a tribute to the good sense of the electors. The majority of the people have seen through the empty demagogy of the Labour-Social-ists and promptly disbelieved the practicability of the latter’s reckless prospectus even as a gamble.” The “Post,” not to bo outdone, glorified the victory to the length of a column and a quarter and concluded w th appropriate exultation. “It increases \ one’s faith in democracy,” it proclaimed, “to find th?t in complete disregard of the ordinary devices of the orator and the demagogue, a leader can talk to a public meeting in this eh did and almost forbidding strain, 'and win an election on it.” All this is very fine and- large, but the fact remains that Mr Holvoake is a minority member of the House. ELECTORAL REFORM.

In the circumstances of the day neither Mr Forbes nor Mr Coates, nor, indeed, any members of the Coalition Party, is likely t ' concern himself at all seriously with the question of electoral reform. It is to be hoped, however, that alien times are better than they are to-day the community at large will be moved to some serious consideration of this matter. Beyond the Mother Country, New Zealand is the most backward part of the Empire in this respect. At the last general election ot Home, that of October 1931, fourteen million odd votes were cast fo“ the Government and seven odd million for the Opposition, with the result that 553 seats 'vein secured by the Government and sixty two seats by the Opposition. Never before had such an unequal distribution of representation occurred in tho Mother of Parliaments, and never again should there be an e'en'ng for such a result within the Empire.