The Press. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1912. DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14513, 20 December 1912, Page 6

The Press. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1912. DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE.

To say that something "reaches tho " lowest mark yet touched in the his- " tory of Australian politics" is to. use strong language, but the Melbourne "Argus" had good reason so to describe the action of the Labour Party in tho Fede-al Houso in rejecting the scheme of electoral redistribution for New South "Wales. The affair is really an amazing example of bare-faced flouting of tho political decencies to gain a party advantage. As in New Zealand, the Federal electorates are rearranged periodically by independent Conim MJonerF, the idea being that there shall bo a total elimination of political influence from the work. When the Victorian electorates were ro-arranged, two safe Liberal seats were obliterated, and wore replaced by one in the metropolitan area, the formation of which, however, affected tho security of a neighbouring seat. Liberals in Parliament - made no protest, aad the schemo was adopted as a matter of course. In tho case of Queensland, the readjust meat seemed to imperil a Labour seat, and the scheme was referred back to tho Commissioners. The second rearrangement was no more pleasing to the member affected, but .was accepted. Tho West Aus£ralian rearrangement was also re-

ferred back at tho instance of a dissatisfied Labour member, and an alteration made. But the treatment of the Xew South "Wales scheme, which cut out two Labour seats, was much worse. Tho objection taken to it was on the ground that it did not conform to the principle of one vote one value, but when the Commissioners altered it at tho bidding of tho Senate in such a way that this objection could not be raised again, the Labour Party in the House- rejected tho whole scheme. An attempt is to bo mado to reintroduce tho scheme in this, tho last week of the session, but failing its adoption, tho next Parliament will be elected on tho existing arrangement, which the altered distribution of population makes most unju =t. For instance, the electorate of Colonel Eyrie, a Liberal, has 49,820 votes, while that of Mr Thomas, tho Postma-ster-Goncral, has 212,261. Tho Sydney ''Sun" calculates that if the election ia held under tho present system, nearly 74,000 electors will be disfranchised. There is this to bo said for the Federal Ministry, that it did not vote against tho scheme, but, according to the "Argus," it said nothing in support of it. It is as, astonishing as it is deplorablo that members of a party that is for ever prating about democracy should commit such an offence against its very essence.