PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19624, 21 May 1929, Page 11

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.

TO THE EDITOH OP THE PRESS. fiir, —I thought The Press had the last word on Friday when it wrote a footnote to my letter and a leading article in reply, but to-day The Pkess breaks out in a fresh place. I would like to assure that very knowing and very exalted personage, Mr <'K.," who writes the ''Obiter Dicta" column, that I had not ''merely beard of Mill," but am the fortunate possessor of his work entitled 'Considerations on Representative Government," and if I wanted any of his other works, I could borrow them from the Parliamentary Library or from my friend, the Hon. Mr Downie Stewart Perhaps it was my long association in Parliament with that distinguished statesman which caused me to spell the name "Stewart." Anyhow, I would like to know what Mr Downie Stewart would think of vour contention that representation had to be "effective" representation. A system of election cannot make it ''effective"; that depends on the representatives. A system of election can only ensure that each Party gets the number of representatives it is entitled to. If the C!A. representatives on the Council are not effective, that is their fault.

Perhaps if I give you some of the j dates which you have been asking tor j you will consent to publish short ex- I tracts from Mill, and perhaps also you will refrain from telling me that Mill was not a "Socialist" or a "Prohibi-i tionist," because I an perfectly well aware of the fact that he was a most pronounced TndfVidualist. "The Times" (London), May 14th, 1918, after the House of Commons rejected a P.R. proposal, said that it (P.R.) "will come more quickly, we are disposed to think, than those who oppose it to-day imagine." The "Daily Telegraph," same date: "The time is not far off when an awakened sense of equity will combine with the logic of events to bring about the restoring of P.R. to its place in the new electoral system." The "Scotsman" (same date) records the defeat of V.R., and remarks, "the result is regrettable." The "Liverpool Daily Post," May 14th, 1918: "Public disappointment in the refusal oi the House of Commons to put the scheme into operation will be very keen." "Manchester Guardian." July 4th, 1917: "P.R offers a prospect of faithful representation." You having forced me to make the search, I could now give you a mass of British newspaper opinion with dav and date. Now for the quotations from John Stuart Mill. That is the way it is spelt in the book I have before me. The date of the book is MDCCCLXV. Chapter VII., page 54: "Suppose then, that, in a country e;overned hy equal and universal suffrage, there is a contested election in everv constituency, and every election is carried by a small majority. The Parliament thus brought together represents a little more thnn a hare majoritv of the peonlc This Parliament proceeds to legislate and adopts important measures by a bare majority of itself. "What guarantee is there that the.'e measures accord with the TvisOiPs of a majority of the people: "Democracy thus constituted does

not even attain it 3 ostensible object, that of giving- the powers of government in a' l - cases to the numerical majority. It does something very different: it tuem to a majority of a majority, who may be and often "are, but a minority of the whole. '' J. S. Mil! was an advocate of P.R. or full representation of all the people ia order to secure majority rule. Just one word to "Iron Heel." The majoritv must rule and a C.A. representative acting as chairman could not fairlv be expected to. Ncr -would he u is!,* -to carry out the Labour policv. A2a in thanking you.—Yours, etc., J. McCOMBS. Sumner. May ISth. [The contributor to whom our correspondent refers in the first part of his letter will no doubt make such apology as is needful. We refer to the letter in our leader columns.—• Ed.. The Pnrss.]