The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1913. THE SECOND BALLOT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 277, 20 November 1913, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1913. THE SECOND BALLOT.

For the cause that lacks assistance, Far the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice am do.

I Mr. Masses has made it quite clear that he is not easy in his mind about the proposed .repeal of the Second Ballot; for he has attempted to smuggle in this modification of the law under the cloak of a harmless-looking Legislature Amendment Bill, which apparently has nothing to do with th« question. The ostensible purpose of this bill is to provide for the appointment of a deputy clerk of Parliament in case the clerk happens to fall ill. But the Opposition were from the first suspicious about the meaning of the bill, and Sir Joseph Ward compelled Mr. Massey, after a great deal of fencing, to admit that this measure was to bo utilized to cover the repeal of the Second Ballot. Naturally enough the Liberals expressed their disgust at tiie paltry tactics of the "Reformers, and settled down to a prolonged "'stonewall," partly to display their perfectly justifiable resentment at the quibbles and evasions which had attended the introduction oi the bill, but chiefly to prevent the repeal of the Second Ballot, until some reasonable substitute has been suggested to take its place. We need not. del-ay our readers long with moral reflections on these extraordinary tactics. But we are much more seriously concerned about the Second Ballot, which wae devised to meet a special defect, in our system of representative government, and which can at least clai'iiu to have done its work more effectually than the old majority system, sjhich it replaced. The worst weakness of the simple majority system from the democratic point of view ie that it practically disfranchises a needlessly large number of the electors. The Second Ballot, i≤ in reality a modified form of Proportional Representation, and though it is, we admit, crude and cumbersome and expensive, it is an honest attempt to redreee a very serious public grievance. By striking out the candidates who have absolutely no chance of election after the first ballot, their supporters get another chance of expressing their political preferences and securing representation for themselves; and this system, even though it is open to criticism, is certainly preferable to the old method of voting, and ie certainly worth retaining until a substitute has been devised .which will even more, effectually Tealise the democratic ideal of securing the direct expression of the people's will. Cut Mr. Maesey has told Parliament that ho means to abolish the ' Second Ballot first and chink about a substitute for it later on. As ; .r Joseph Ward and other Liberals have pointed out, the only fair and rational course for Government to take would be to repeal tie Second Ballot by a Bill replacing it -with some alternative method of election. Sir Joseph's arguments are quite unanswerable; but ail that Mr. Aiassey is anxious about just now is to get rid of the Second Ballot at all costs. Nor is it difficult to explain the Premier's precipitancy. For he recognises that the Second Ballot at the next general election mig'.-it give his opponents a far better chance of success than they would have had without it. It is certain that in a number of electorate* Liberals and Labour candidates will both stand against ■■Reformers." At the first ballot the Opposition vote would be split; at a second ballot it is obvious that the liberal and Labour voters would to some la tout combine against the Government candidate. What Mr. Massey hopes to do is to take advantage of the splitting of the Opposition vote by abolishing the Second Ballot, and thus securing for "Reform' , a victory over the divided forces of its opponents. That is clearly the meaning of the Premiers desire to get rid of the Second Ballot without offering anything in its place, and of his anxiety to hustle the measure through the House as quickly as possible, without drawing public attention I to his manoeuvre and its probable ! rff-vts. ! Of course, the Liberals in the Ilouse ; rfmli*p all this, and we cannot he surprised thai they have resolved to proI to~t MS strongly as possible against this i new iliiu-trxtioti of tno principle of the I "square ileal." There wars no reason whatever why the Premier should not have taken the House into his confidence about the matter from the first, except the. obvious fact that he is anxious to I evade the. responsibility of doing anything to modify the simple majority system before nest election. When cornered by Sir Joseph Ward yesterday, Mr. Masspy said something vague and inconclusive about proposing a substitute for the Second Ballot next session; but the Liberals- are not likely to tie put off in that way. They recognise in the Second Ballot a reasonable attempt to get rid of one of the worst weaknesses of our electoral system; and it is useless for Mr. Massey to pretend that either hi the House or the country any general wish has been expressed to go back to the old system by which so many electors are. ruthlessly disfranchised in all constituencies where more than two candidates .demand a poll. Even the "New Zealand' Herald," -with an Hlogjeairty all its ■α-xi, after denonncing Sir Joseph Ward and the Liberals for blocking Mr Massey'e ingenious little

dfviw. asks: "Why not allow the Secon|l Ballot to remain as it stands?" Why notl indeed! Purely our contemporary has not failed to recognise the advantage] that the abolition of the Second Ballot! would give the "Reformers" at the next , election. But the Liberals are fully awake to the significance of Mr. Massey's move, and they can be trusted to put up a strong fight against this fresh en croaekment by the "Reformers" upon the rights and liberties of the people.