WELLINGTON TOPICS

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3388, 17 January 1920, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE GENERAL ELECTION. FREAKS OF THE BALLOT. _' (Special Correspondent.) " VVELLINGTON, aJn_ 15; The r-esult of the returning officer’s‘ ofiicial count in connection with the"recent general election justifies to a. large extent the hard things that havebeenhaid about the “first past the post’’’ systrm by disappointed candi--dates and voters during the last week or two. The returning oificer does not, of course, indicate the party'colour of‘ the candidates, but taking the candidates own declarations of their policy‘ we find that 206,461 votes elected 440 Reformers, 196,837 22 Liberal and‘ Liberal-Labouritifi 127,026 eight orficial Labourites and 12.345 two Inde—pendents. Mr S. G. Smith_ the mem—v her for Taranaki, Mr W. A. Veitch, the member for Vvangaui, and Mr E; Kellett, the member for Dunedin North are a.ccepted in these figures ‘sis Lib? ere.l-Lahouri‘.ie-s, while Mr W. D_ Lysnar, the nle.mb'er for Gisborne, and Colonel Mitcliell, the member for Wellington South, are regarded as Independents, Several other successful‘ candidates declared thenwielves as Indpendents during the election campaign, including Hr James Craigie, the" member for Timaru, and Ml‘ C. E. Statham, the member for Dunedin South,. but their former attachments may be expected to induce them to take sides‘ in the event of :1 crucial division. M DISPROPOR'I‘IO‘NAL REPRESEN-~ TION. . Assuming the party loaning‘ of the’ members of the new House to be as Fltat€(l,2lbOVQ. it took an average of’ 4692 votes to elect a Reform member, 8947 to elect a Libei-al’—Labour mem-v her, 15,901 to elect an Ofiicial Labour member and 6173 to elect an Independent member Had representation“ followed in proportion to the number of votes polled the new House would have consisted of 29 Reformcrs (28.96 to be precise), 27 Libel-alLa.bouritd2 (27.53). 18 Oflicial Labourites (17.78) and 2 Independents (1.710. But in‘ weighing the significance of these fig-“ ures on their bearing upon -the strengtli of _ parties ‘in the country it must be remembered‘ that opposing .force:« in a number of‘ cases .<ilpport.od the ' 111110 candidate. In the Avon and Christchurch South contests, for instance, a comparison of the voting in 1914 and 1919 will make ‘it quite plain that the Reform-ers in‘ fchese constituencies, having 110 Candi‘ dates of their own in the field, solidly supported Oificial Labour candidates. No doubt Liberals in a. similar posié ition did the same thing, but it is not ‘so easy to drop upon flagrant exam:ples of their adherence to the practices ‘of the party game_ It is safe to~_S'3Y: ‘however, that between them the two older parties gave 20.000 or 25,900“ votes to Labour ca.ndida.tei.= and to that extent lessened their own totals in thefigures under notice. AN INDECISIVE RESULT.

All this makes it abundantly clearthat the election of a Parliament under the existing system of voting is an 3 extrenioly haphazard business. The poiiition appears to be that 206,461 electors have got the Government they desire and 336,208 electors have not. While in a minority of 129,747 in the "constituencies, Mr Massey has secured a. ]llEljol‘li_V of four ,pel'ha.ps five. or even six, in the House, without taking the Maori members into account. The country has had niinority rule» before, but never in zuch a pronounced .mea.s-‘ ure as it has it now; and‘ many of the Prime Minister's own fric-ml-s are deploring the clumsy operation of the ballot. The): are obtaining what. com-s forttliey may from the 1-efiection that still worse muddle would have been brought about had a few score votes‘ in Canterbury.‘ been cast the other Way. The capture. of the Kaiapoi. Temuka, and Waitaki seats sm-ml Mr Mzd-sey from returning to the House With a. nlajority of no rmoro than 0118 and facing :’:11 Opposition that P7'ob3~b]Y Wolll3‘ have given him no quarter’. Electoral reformers are Praying that his DBIIOW’ ‘_

escape may remind him of ceftain. promises concerning "a. better :~ysteA-n1 than the second ballot.” he made #3s‘. them on the threshold of‘ hi‘: ministers ia.l career. _ V