CUMULATIVE VOTING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5340, 9 May 1878, Page 3

CUMULATIVE VOTING.

10 THE EDITOB OS’ THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sib, —Soma twenty years ago the Fellows of St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, then' three in number, had occasion to elect a president from among themselves, and proceeded to do so in the following manner: A voted for B, B voted for C, and O, knowing how his confreres had voted, voted for himself, and so received the appointment. This election at the time excited much amusement, andwas of .course made 'the' subject of pointed satire in the Tripos verses; however (3 had the best of the joke, and I believe is . still in the enjoyment of the hbnbrs find emoluments of the position he thought himself ,so well qualified to fill. There were, in'reality, no considerations but those of modesty to have prevented him from voting os,he did, and it would bo a very Utopian conception that such considerations have over exercised any great degree of restraint upon the exertions of a candidate for, office to secure his own election.

The cumulative system of voting adopted, in accordance with Clause 06 of tho Education Act, at the election of school committees which have recently taken place, affords another instance of how an unfair repicseutation of a local body might easily bo brought about by its own legitimate 1 votes. Tho ■ principle involved in the clause’ is the representation of minorities, a dangerous one under all circumstances, but increasing in danger tho smaller the lump in which tho leaven acts. It planes enormous powers-of combined action in the hands of a few men—-say some particular sect -—to secure the return of their candidates, and of course weakens the value of those votes which have 'been divided amongst several others. Such ah element does not enter into, the constitution., of national representation, and I fail to ■ see' that" tho’ principles which

apply to the latter differ-in_ any respect from those ■ which are applicable to local representation, except that any, defect in the one' is generally exaggerated in the other. In ; all probability this clause is purely a tentative -one,, and as such may be productive of good in helping to clear away the difficulties which still subject of national representation, and possibly the supporters of the .clause acted on the old maxim, fit experimcntum in corpora vili, I would, however, call their attention to the fact that in 1863 cumulative voting was attempted to be introduced in one of the Australian Parliaments, but was wisely negatived. It is intrinsically an unsound measure, and if we wish to see our school,committees kept free from sectarian influences, and the thousand and : one evils which fallow on the process known as “ packing,” the sooner the danse is expunged from-the Bill the better for the community at large.-—Yours, &0., , .Franchise.