RULED BY MINORITY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLIII, Issue 9828, 22 March 1923, Page 5

RULED BY MINORITY

LORDS CONCERNED. VOTING SYSTEMS DEBATED. A BILL WITHDRAWN. (Per Press Association, Copyright.) (Received March 22, 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, March 21. In the House of Lords, Lord Beauchamp, in moving the second reading of a Bill introducing an alternative vote at parliamentary elections, pointed out that the advent of a third party had completely changed the position. Speakers at the Conference in 1916 recommended proportional representation, or, where that was not suitable, an alternative vote. He pointed out that the Government at the general election obtained only 5,000,000 out of the 13,000,000 votes recorded. The swing of the pendulum added 10 per cent, to Labour, and taking the same ratio from the Conservative the Labour Party would have had as large a majority as Mr Bonar Law. Lord Long opposed the Bill, and said it needed only a simple understandable system which would give strong governments with stable ma-

jorities. Lord Peel said he was not converted to the idea. Under the proposed system there would be prodigious canvassing and log-rolling. The Government could not give time for full discussion of the Bill in the Commons-; therefore its passage through the Lords would be profitless. Viscount Grey was convinced that stable government was not securable without introducing a new voting system. It was possible, for the present system to put into power an extremist Government, not possessing any real majority in the country. If so, the 'Government would regret its pre-

sent negative attitude Lord Curzon pointed out that many Italian Governments were very shortlived, and said their instability was attributable to proportional representation. The Government would give its best attention to an electoral reform resolution, but could not accept the present Bill. Lord Beauchamp thereupon withdrew the Bill.