“The Press” In 1864

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30472, 20 June 1964, Page 12

“The Press” In 1864

has taken up the subject of representation finds fault with the Press for clinging to old and wornout principles, and promises to expound to its readers the new theories of Mr Hare. The Standard had probably forgotten that Mr Hare’s scheme for representation has long ago been explained, at all events, to one journal in the Colony, and that that journal was the Press. But, in truth, Mr Hare has propounded no new principle; he has simple invented an exceedingly ingenious piece of electoral machinery by which the evil of unrepresented minorities might possibly be obviated. Nor was Mr Hare the first to point out this evil; for it has been recognised by miltitudes of writers, and various

schemes have been applied to meet it- In the Reform Bill which was brought into the House -of Commons by Lord John Russell in 1854, the same end was proposed to be partially attained by giving three members to certain constituencies, and allowing only two votes to each of the electors. The writer in the Standard does no appear to be well. acquainted .with Mr Hare’s book, or be would have known that Mr Hare does not propose to abandon electoral districts, or a specified number of members for each district, and therefore that whether Mr Hare’s system be adopted or not, the question as to how many members shall be attached to each electoral district must still be decided. We have advocated the introduction of Mr Hare’s system; but if we know anything of the Colony we may venture

to doubt whether it will be adopted within the next twelve months; whereas the question which we have been discussing is an immediate and practical one, and most certainly will be settled either well or ill at the very next session ■of the Assembly. But there are evils in our representative system in this Colony which Mr Hare's plan does not deal with. One such is the. state of the 'boundaries of the Provincial and General Electoral districts. The presort system is creating a mass of confusion which can -hardly be conceived. The boundaries of the. General and Provincial districts do npt coincide; there ■ is, consequently, the greatest difficulty in making'out within what Provincial district every man should be placed; and fresh errors are creeping into the roll every year.