AN EXPERIMENT.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 7

AN EXPERIMENT.

RESULT OF THE PROPORTIONAL ' REPRESENTATION VOTE. Over 21,000 people responded to ah appeal ':' made in the- London "Daily News" and .other papers to tako part in a . test election ' organised :by the Proportional Representation;" •' Society./ Tho voting' papers,- addressed to' Lord Avebury, president of the society, were sent .to CajrtonVHall,,.:W'estminster,^wherf..". they .we're' counted- in' tlio' presence of a re- . prescntative company, which.' included Lord-; anil Lady' Courtney,.;.' Lord ' Avebury, Six Courtenay. llbert, (Clerk of the .House ol Commons), Mr. Thomas Shaw,' M.l'., Pro- : fessor Westlake,] Sir Francis Hopwood, Mr,. ~ Godfrey Baring, M.P. ; and Mr. J... Fishez Williams .'(presiding'officer); '. N. - ... The'supposition was that twelve candidates : / had'been nominated for' five seats in a city such as .Leeds. ' Each electorhad.one vote, but was' ! invited to plnco the figure 2 opposite his second-choice, 8 opposite his third choice, and so on; numbering as-many candidates as ho pleased .in the order .of - his preferenco. .. ■ Altogether- 21j69p ballot papers were sent in. Only 18 were ruled, invalid. The result of the poll on tlio first , vote was announced as follows: — : , i', ly r ... Asquith, 11. H. 9042 - - Balfour, A. 4478 Lloyd-George, D 2751 ■ Macdonald, J. R 2124 i v >Henderson, 'A.1038 •'■' Long, W 672 : Cecil, Lord Hugh ............... 460 ! Sliackleton, D. .....'B9B Burt, T ... 260 • Jones,-Leif ' 191 i.iSmithj .F. 'E.-';:..................:'.'■ 164 • Joynson-Hicks, W....: •94 v These. results'were' obtained by sorting the papers according'to the"names against which ' the figure'l' had been marked. The advantages iof proportional. representation then; appeared when,the voters second and succeed-; liig preferences began to' bo dealt with. Tho returning officer . first: ' ascertained .the . : ."quota,"..which reached 3613, and then de- ':■' clarerl elected .the tWo' candidates; Mr. As- o quith and j Mr. ■ Balfour, who had secured ' votes • abovo this number.- ... The;, question.. :now was •to . ascertain the ; voters' 'chrnce for the remaining three members- required. 'I'ho returning officer there-. fore, transferred from the elected candidates all . votes in cxcess of tho "quota," allocating .them ,to,;the .other candidates: in accordance.'V; jvifcii the expressed preference of tho voters. '/ Tho result finally was given in tho following form:— .. • ■ . ■ ■ ELECTED. Lloyd-Georgo ... ■ ... 8619 ■ Asquith: , . ... ... 3617 Balfour ;. ... . ... . 8616 ■ Hurt . ' ... .... '3053 ■' ; ilac'donald j ..., ... ' ...... 2938 ' -'This wis',.arrived at by an elaborate, system; of transferring the surplus votes,' which engaged the attention of forty expert counters : : from seven o'clock to nearly- midnight;- .;. , Boforo the counting began, Lord Avebury said this' had' been called an experimental election, but ho would, prefer to call ,it an ..illustrative,.election., /. Proportional, represent .tatiop;;had",beeni-in operation -, in.v Denmark; fifty years, and was in . use in Switzerland. Sweden, and Belgium. : \ .The'necessity for. a change in our presenl electoral system had. : been emphasised.'?:»• \ v .recent by-olections,. where ono party ■ - hac .been .divided and the other agreed, with th< Result '.that ; a. candidate had' been • returned i l, '' who' had not: received a majority of' votes,':' . .and who\ .therefore • represented - a minority;of .'electors..:, In . two at least of tho recent ■ Genoral Elections "a' great ' party in the State/ which was, in a minority in the country, actually Secured a majority in the House : . of Commons.' ; .That could, onl,y be.'called ■ a; ; mockery: of.iepresentation. This did. not sip- ~\i •ply to tho 'present. Government. • ■

-; ;Lord-C6urtney, ;iwhO' is chairman of the committee, ,'saidi-: this test ; election had been designed to show how easy, just,' and satisfactory'' was. .the system advocated.V. :