Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9178, 23 June 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

IN the course of Iris speech last week Dr. Findlay, in defending his allegation that the increase in wages during the operation of tire Arbitration Act had had little effect in raising the cost of living, made the significant statement that “the workers benefited by the Act are but a class, and the burden of their increased wages does not return in the shape of prices upon themselves alone, but is distributed over the whole body of consumers, of whom they may be but a small section.” The census returns show that there are 290,000 wage earners of various classes iu this country, of whom at the highest estimate not more than 40,000 are members of Unions whose wages may have been raised by the Arbitration Court. In other words a quarter of a million workers have been bled for the sake of the fortunate few who have come within the range of Arbitration Court awards. A more atrocious case of class legislation has never been perpetrated under the most aristocratic Government, and it would be well if those who, according to Dr. Findlay, are bearing the burden for the noisy minority could be aroused to the true state of affairs. If it be urged that those outside the unions at present should combine and seek better conditions from the Court for themselves the repl3 r is that if the small proportion of workers who already applied to the Court can produce such an effect on prices as they undoubtedly have done the result of another quarter of a million seeking awards would raise the level of prices ‘to such an extent as to render life in New Zealand an impossibility.

IN most matters the present Ministry is very slow to move unless positively pushed into action by popular agitation, and in fact Ministers are in the habit of begging that a load may be given them as to what legislation is likely to secure votes. When, therefore, Sir Joseph Ward announces that a Bill will be introduced nest session to provide for a second ballot or some other scheme for securing that no member shall be elected to the House unless/ lie secures an absolute majority : of the. votes polled the „,first idesy is that there must be a strong ueinqnd for such legislation. On the contrary, however, there has been no agitation for any change of the sort, and people are perfectly contend with the existing method of election which, on the whole, works satisfactorily enough. Sir Joseph (Ward, however, finds that there is (generally a plethora of Government candidates between whom it is invidious to decide and therefore he [hopes by the new scheme to be able to dispose of all but one of the numerous followers of his party who|desire to receive £6 per week. Two methods have been proposed, the absolute majority system and the second ballot. Under the former voters would be expected to place the figures 1,2 and 3, etc., opposite the names of the candidates in order of their preference. If“no candidate secures more than half the rotes polled the second votes are taken into account in order to discover who has the greater support. If this fails to produce the desired result the third votes and so - on are counted. It means a good deal of labour iu counting the votes, but as that is done by trained men this is of little import- ; nace from the point of view of electors. Sir Joseph Ward, however, prefers the system of a second ballot which means that where no candidate obtains more than half the votes polled a second] election will take place in which the two candidates at the top of the list will fight things out. The’trouble and expense caused by this second election matters nothing to Ward so long as he can gain the support of a few more members in the House. The change will be most unpopular with the electors, most of whom consider'the present'system produces more thau enough trouble and gives resulta|which, on the whole, are fair enongh to both parties. If any change is made the former system as requiring only one polling day would be the more satisfactory. But the Premier considers that electors would not be able to understand such a complicated method of voting. The Lyttelton TimtJ remarks: “It seems to us that the vote of the elector, who has not suffiioeut intelligence to place the figure one against the name of the candidate he wishes elected, the figure two against the name of his next favourite, and so on until the list is exhausted, would not be a very great loss to the country if it were never recorded. The absolute majority system of voting is quite as simple as the preesnt system, and it is far more certain than the second ballot iu securing the representation of majorities. It is very probable that at'the approaching election we may aeb half a dozen candidates standing

for one seat, and if two of these happen to be Conservatives and four Liberals, the majority of the electors may ( d.issipate tiner votes among the four Liberals, and leave the two Conservatives to go to the poll for the second time. Nothing of this sort could occur under the absolute majority system, and the country would be spared the expense aud turmoil of a second appeal tu the electors.”