PROPORTIONAL VOTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 48, 26 February 1923, Page 5

PROPORTIONAL VOTING.

COMMONS REJECT THE BILL! ' — ! LOST ON A CLOSE VOTE. j iH.» 0.i.:.-. rr.-s« .\ S s..,iaii..i,. r~..|.yrUht..| LONDON, February 2."i. The seciiinl reading of k bill, previously passed three limes by the I House oi Lord*, to permit local authorities by a tliteo-tiftlis majority tv adopt proportional representation, was moved in the House of Commons, by .Mr. Harold Morris iNrttional Liberal. The Hume Secret a r>. Mr. VV. C. Bridsman. said that the Ministry was neutral. ;tn<l the Whips* were removed. Mr. 1). Graham rLabour) pointed <.ut that the Labour party was divided >m the subject some feeling thai the support accorded the system by political opponent* indicated that it va* a ileVi.e to reduce Labour representation. He admitted that under proportional representation Labour would have gained tlie recent general election. Professor Sir I. YV. C. Omen d onservativei. strong-lv opposing the hill, dedared tlia , . proportional representation involved a serious risk of governmentg being unable to carry on. No party under promotional representation would have had a majority at the last election. It was a system for the over-representa-tion of minorities. The bill was rejected by Illfl votes to 1.-.7- iA. and X.Z. Cable.i