CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 247, 19 October 1939, Page 6

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS.

DESPOTIC GOVERNMENT.

(To the Editor.)

Your correspondent '"'Jock" asks na if I think the minority should rule. iUj answer is definitely no. Majorities should rule and be represented -in proportion to their numbers, while minorities should also be represented in proportion to their numbers. At the last election Labour got ."Mi |>er cent of the votes cast and National 44 per cent, that is to say, of the SO members 44 should be Labour and 36 National, bat our comic opera electoral system gave Labour more than two seats to the Nationals' one; but this is not all. Tens of thousands of the most intelligent electors were disfranchised altogether because they knew one pa.rty represented Tweedledee and the other Tweedledum. The sham Labour party had proportional representation in its platform for many years, but threw it out for the sweets of office. It broke its pledges to repeal the sales tax and give freedom on the air. Indeed, Labour has muzzled the air more than its predecessors. It did not advocate tie nationalisation of everything at the-las-t election, and Mr. Savage hastened to say that the fact of Mr. Lee openly advocating it in his liook did not mean that it was the Government "s policy. Mr. Savage knew that to advor-ate pure Socialism would have spelt defeat. ' Then why say Labour has a mandate to introduce Socialism? E. STEVENSON.