WORLD'S RECORD COUNT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 113, 16 May 1933, Page 9

WORLD'S RECORD COUNT.

cmtisTCiruitcH election VOTES. "Witli 43 candidates in the field, with 29,000 voters, and sixteen *to be elected, the count just completed by Mr. Albert Freeman for the election of the city council easily constitutes a world's record so far as proportional representation elections are concerned," said Mr. J. McCombe, M.P., in Christchurch, last week. Mr. McCombs said he was certain when Mr. Freeman made his final report it would be read with considerable interest by all the proportional representation societies in the world.

Mr. McCombs said he would like to point out that the preliminary count was completed in Christchurch and the figures presented to the public by 10.15 p.m. on the day of the poll, and it was known at once what was likely to be the relative strengths of the parties or groups on the council. So far as the other three cities were concerned, their returns were not available until past midnight. It should be counted as a tribute to the intelligence of the electors of the city that only 4 per cent of the votes were informal, whereas on the last occasion that the firet-paet-the-post system was adopted, the percentage of infornials was as high as 17.