PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 39, 2 October 1914, Page 4

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

N T ow that the Proportional Bepresentation Bill permitting local authorities to use the scientific system in conductin their'elections has received the Governor's assent (says the Lyttelton Times), the question arises whether ihe advocates of the reform should rot make an effort to secure the \tdopion'of the new system by way of educating the public. There has been a ',ood deal of discussion' of electoral] riethods in recent years, and generally, no doubt, the public have an idea' )f the system of proportional representation and it's operation. But it i? safe to say that the manned in which ;he system is worked is a mystery to he great majority of the. people. Jroadly speaking, the details 'W the •ounting need not interest -the'voter, vhose duty under the system is exremely simple. But we doubt if any ltelligent elector would be content to umber the candidates at an election n the order in which he prefers them md then await the publication of the •esults without knowing how the re-, ,ults Avere being arrived at, and thf •,est method of educating the electors, 'if course, is to give them practical experience. This new Act was pronoted in the first instance by the Ihristchurch City Council, and it vould be quite in the proper order of hings if Christchurch were the first o adopt it.