ELECTORAL REFORM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 35, 10 February 1904, Page 3

ELECTORAL REFORM.

o I SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) PAHIATUA. this day. Sir. O'Meara. member for Pahiatua. \va_3 entertaiued at a banquet by his constituent's last night. Among the | guests were Mr. Seddon and Sir Joseph . \Y. The latter, in th-; course of a j said great reform was necessary | |in connection with the electoral laws in I order to make it impossible for any man to represent a minority of the people, i j and to make it impossible for any re- ■ turning officer or registrar of electors to !be able to do anything to invalidate the I election of a tuan who was fairly rei turned by a majority of the people. Another reform he favoured, but in which he was only to be taken as representing his own opinion, was a reform of the I present bi-chamber system of legislation. It was a subject which was bound to engage the attention of the public in the near future. The whole voice of public opinion showed that the existing system wa,s unsatisfactory, and that a change must be made. He thought the Lower House"*dught to elect the members of the Upper House, and every provincial district ought io have a fair share of representation. It they were going to make a change let it be a wholesale change. It was advocated by some that local public bodies should have power to elect members to the Upper House, but if such bodies Uad a voice on the existing fianchis<- they would) have a .-.top-sap that would allow j no legislation to go through. The question was simmering: some change must come, and public opinion required to be educated on the point.