The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1888. ELECTORAL REFORM.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1803, 16 October 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1888. ELECTORAL REFORM.

Whenever Sir John Hall, the Christchurch Press, the Political Reform Association, and such people commence to adyocate any given subject it is time for more liberally disposed persons to reflect very seriously on the effect the adoption of the measure under discussion would have on the well-being of the colony. There was introduced last session a Bill for completely altering the mode of electing members of Parliament in this colony. It proposed to divide the colony into not more than fifteen districts, in such a way that each district would return to Parliament not more than eight-and not less than four members. It would work in this way. All the land from the Rakaia to the Waitaki would he one district, for which five members would be returned. Thus candidates would have to address meetings at all the centres from Waimate to Rakaia, and the expense of contesting an election would render it impossible for any but wealthy men to get elected. There are therefore two objections to this—first it would be a physical impossibility for candidates to address electors in every school district as they do at. present, and consequently country electors would never have the opportunity of hearing political questions , discussed ; secoudly the, expenses would he so enormous that no one but a very wealthy man could attempt to contest an election. This is the system which Sir John Hall, the Christchurch Press and Company are advocating at present. ibe next feature worthy of notice is that every elector would have to apply personally for an elector’s right to vote, at certain offices within the district, and for this privilege he would have to pay one shilling, For instance, a man working in the Mackenzie Country would have to com# down to Timaru, make an application for an elector’s right, prove that he was eligible, and pay his shilling. Now as a matter of fact one-half of the working men of the colony would not go to the expense and trouble of this, and thus they would be completely disfranchised. Then a modification of the Hare system is to be employed, but as this is too complicated to explain fully in the short space at our disposal at present, we shall content ourselves with giving what the Christchurch Press thinks of it. It says that “ not merely would it tend to make the House of Representatives a fair reflex of public opinion, it would l at the same time tend largely to elevate and purify public life, by encouraging the very best men amongst us to take part in the public affairs of the colony.” First, we have shown that it would be impossible for any but the very wealthiest men to contest an election; and, second, wehaveshown that the system of registering votes would practically disfranchise a very large number of electors, and yet a House elected on such principles would be a “fair reflex of public opinion,” and it would “ purify public life,”* the purifying element being doubtless the wealthy classes, such, for instance, as the late directors of the Bank of New Zealand. On the directorate of the Bank of New Zealand the wealthy men had it all thoir own way, and a fearful mess they made of it. Tet this is the very class into whose hands it is proposed to relegate the management of the colony. The Press next points out that under the new Electoral Bill

plural voting would bo abolished, and continues—“ The property qualification has been insisted on simply because it is a somewhat rough and ready means of doing what the Hare system would, in our opinion, do much more effectually.” Thus the Hare system and the new electoral law are, according to the showing of the Press, designed specially to throw representation altogether into the hands of the wealthy. It has let the “cat out of the bag,” and any one who cannot see it must be blind indeed,'