The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1908. THE SECOND BALLOT IN PRACTICE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13227, 22 September 1908, Page 6

The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1908. THE SECOND BALLOT IN PRACTICE.

Y*sterday we gave some particulars of a system of proportional representation in actual practice in Western Australia. A correspondent, to whom we are much indebted, has kindly drawn our attention to an article in the London "Spectator" contributed by Mr John H. Humphreys, hon. secretary of the Proportional Representation Society, giving 6omo interesting details of the result, of the second ballot in the countries in which it has been tried. The Premier, it will be remembered, laid great stress on tho fact that it was. in operation in Germany. It is* a pity ho did not tell the House how it worked out at the last general election held iri January last- The writer in the "Spectator" gives the following analysis of the votes polled and the seats finally won by tho principal groups:— Seats -Party. Votes. obtained. Social Democrats .. S.Soi.OOfl 43 Centre Party .. 2,27-i,n_<7 103 Nation a' Liberals .. 1,570,836 53 Conservatives •• 1,400 501 83 Kadical Groups .'. 1,211,304 51 How ridiculous is tho assertion that the Second Ballot secures "majority rule" is shown by a glance at tho largo preponderance of vote, polled' by tho Social Democrats and tho fewness of the seats which they secured. Although they polled tho largest number of votes they returned fewer representatives than any other section. Further examination of tho results shows that the second ballots were by far tho most potent factor in depriving tho Social Democrats of their fair share of representation. They wero engaged at tho second ballots in 92 constituencies and although they were the largest, or second largest, group in each, they only won fourteen, and their defeat in the remaining 78 constituencies was due to a hostile combination of ether parties. 'The Social Democrats," adds the 'Spectator' writer, "polled a third of the votes; but as their representation " depended not upon the strength in"dicated by their votes, but upon the " attitude taken towaitls them at tho "second ballots.by other parties, they " succeeded in obtaining only one-ninth "of the seats." Tho Austrian General Election, wo. are assured, furnished another example of the complete failure of the second ballots to secure the fair representation of parties, and the experience of Belgium is still more instructive. The evils arising from the system in that country wero so pronounced that all* parties were glad to escape from them. Afte. ihe election of 1898, the year before proportional representation was adopted, there were but eleven Liberal representatives in the Chamber although as the subsequent elections with proportionate voting showed, they were the second largest party in the country. Here again the representation of the Liberals did not depend upon the number of votes polled but upon the action taken by the Clerical and Socialist organisations at the second ballots A report presented to the Belgian

Senate in 1899 is most emphatic in their condemnation. "Tho Press of all "Parties," says tho report, "wero insistent in pointint. out the contra"'dictions, the absurdities, the dangers " of the second ballots, and demanded ''their suppression with a force that •' increased with every election." France tells tho same story. In a report presented last year to tlie French ! Chamber of Deputies by the Commission dv Suffrage Univcrsel it is stated that "the abolition of the second bal- " lots with the bargainings to which " they give rise will not bo the least " of the advantages of the new system" [proportional representation.] M. Deschanel, an ex-President of the Chamber, says of the second ballots that •'•'their perplexing coalitions falsify " the character of the popular verdict." M. Yves Gnyot, tho eminent economist and publicist is aiiko outspoken and specific in his condemnation. "The " second ballots," he says, "result at " the time of the election in detestable " bargainings, which obliterate all " political sense in the electors. After- " wards, in the Chamber of Deputies, " they foster incoherence, both in policy "and vote, the greater part of tho "Deputies being engaged! in giving sat- " isfaction both to the electors they " really represent and to tho minorities " which have been indispensable to "their success, but which have only '' accepted them as their representatives for want of better." It is this discredited S3'_tem, which has proved a failure wherever it has been tried, which is being foisted on Nevr Zealand by tho Government and the Parliament whom it leads by the nose. One can only assume either that Ministers and their supporters have never troubled to study the subject, or else that they are supporting the system, knowing it to bo unsound in principle, but believing that it will enable them to gain an unfair party advantage at the next geheral election. We leave them to say on which horn of the dilemma they prefer to bo impaled. But not only have they taken up a ridiculous fad w r hich has proved a complete failure in practice, they have added to it a monstrous invasion of the public rights which has never been attempted in Germany, Austria, France or Belgium. These countries, it is true, have had to suffer the anomalies and injustice of the second ballot system; it has- been reserved, however, to the "free" and "democratic" Parliament of Now Zealand to add to the second ballot abomination the absolute gagging of public opinion, both in the Press and on the platform, during the interval between the two ballots. That is an infamy of which we venture to think it will always be able to boast a monopoly.