WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3367, 20 December 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON TOPICS

"THE GENERAL ELECTION. § Q, .., . ..\.'TATION. ' (Special Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. Dec. 19. The geneml election is over, and Mn‘. M3559)’ Wm Infief the new Pi:l‘lament with a. substantial majority ‘ill’. his back, while Sir Joseph W-ard Wlll 1,9among the missing. All that need be: said about. the party leaders just now; is that the Prime Minister is accepting his success with becoming nlO-is-sty, a.ndUSir Joseph his defeat with equaliimity. ~ The only regrets of the Leader: of the Oppiositionlseern to be for his followers, and these are expressed with.‘ warm appreciation of their loyalty am! with cheery words for the future, He; has been offered several seats in the‘ House, which he probably would be ala towed to t'a.ke with the goodwill of the Reformers, but his present inclination’ is to remain in retirement till he has some clear indication from the constituencies that his services are required -and desired. ELECTORAL REFORM. Meanwhile the ‘advocates of'eleetoralo reform are emphasing’ one of the obvious lessens of the polling. Nevenj before in the history of the Dominion, they declare, has the injustice of the system of “first past the post” been: so flagrantly demonstrated. According to the available figures, Which, efi course, are subject to some revision, there are 27 minority members in the new House, members, that is, returned.

by fewer than half the electors that recorded valid votes, sixteen of them being Reformers, seven Liberals, three Labourites, and one Independent. Still more significant, accepting the figures cf the local Reform organ, 192,286 Reform votes secured 45 European seats, 165,997 Liberal votes secured 18 seats, 131,300 Labour votes 11 seats; and’ 27,786 Independent votes two seats, This means that an average of 4,273 votes elected a Reform -member, 9,777 a. Liberal member, 11,936 a Labour member, and 13,893 an Independent nloll‘x,l3Gl’.‘ ' THE ‘DOMINANCE OF MTAJORITIES . These figures—st.ill quoting the advocates of electoral reform‘—-show the inevitable dominance, in incpreasing ratio, of majorities.‘ The party with. the largest number of voters not only go: the majority it was entitled to by its superi—ority "in that respect, but also a further majority of 75 per cent. Under the principles of proportional representation the strengthpof the parties in the new -House would have been‘ 27 Reformers, 25 Liberals, twenty Labour-ites.'aud four Independents. There issuch a , startling difierence‘ here that it is little wonder the party in -ofiice, whatever it.s colour may be, fights a little shy of effecting a reform ‘L that would give every vote recorded just the representation to which it was entitled. It would be ‘.3. revolution for which the average politician at any rate, is not yet prepared; ‘ -I I _ LOCAL lEAMPLES. ' In the six Wellingto.n,constituencies seatsl-.1,‘291 Reform Votes secured. three seats, the 13,827 Liberal votes one seat, the 18,562 Labour votes one seat, and the 5,169 Independent votes one seat. It took only 4,763 votes to elect a Reform candidate, 13,827 to elect. Liberal candidate, an-d 18,562 votes t.o elect a Labour candidate. In In the Canterbury provincial district, which had stood firmly by Liberalism during a period of 30 years, there was a frightful debacle among the stalwarts. But the Liberals still are the largest group in the district, though sorely reduced in in: hers, -and they at least should have Lad a first past the post. -majority. ‘lnstead of this, they returned no more members than: the Reformers did, and lost -seats to both the Labo-urites and the Independ-. cuts. The facts must bring home to an increasing volume of public. opinion the need for a change in the system 01! election. ' 1