TO STOP " PLUMPING."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1394, 21 March 1912, Page 6

TO STOP " PLUMPING."

in municipal Elections.

Councillor G. Frost has given notice to move at next Sleeting .of the City Council: "That the following be a remit from thii council to tho next Municipal Confercnco, viz.—'l hat in order to prevent the wishes of the majority of the electors being dotented,, the Local Elections Act bo so amended by making it compulsory that every person voting shall vole for tho full number of candidates required to fill the. number of vacancies at such election, and that every votim? paper not containing such number shall be declared informal.' "

, Under the present system of voting," soul Councillor Frost to a Domxjox reporter yesterday, ''tho wishes of the peoplo arc defeated time after iinio by littlo cliques or cotcri.'s, who put their heads together and run 'tickets.' ' Candidates selected on thoso tickets of three or four get a big start over other candidates, and if it uero not for Hie system of tickets it is quite possible that more than one member of tho council would not be in his seat now. Tho people running _ tlio tickets often ran candidates to vote in a particular way on particular questions, and the interests of the city generally are apt to be lost sight of. 1 think that the system of voting which makes this possible i,s undemocratic, in that it makes it possiblo for small minorities to thwart the wishes of the general body of citizens. The City Council is really a big board of works, and men ought not to bo elected to it who are not anxious to serve tho interests of the city as a wholo, I am certain my proposal would bring about an impv-jvement; perhaps it may be found preferflblo to reduce the number for which an elector may vote to tivo-thirdj of (ho required number of councillors. but I am certai.i some change should bo made to stop 'plumping.* " Should the motion to carried, the remit will bo considered by the Municipal Conference in JuLv-