LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 4

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

REFORM PROPOSALS. DIRECT ELECTION BY VOTE OF THE PEOPLE. . The■ .Legislative Council Act of IS9I provided that thereafter appointments, wiiicli under the Constitution Act had been for life, should l>e for 'i lerin of seven years. Of tlio members appointed for lifo before 1891, only seven now have seats, ami there arc thirty-two members Appointed for fixed terms. The principal objection to the basis established by (lie Constitution Act was that members holding life appointments were not sufficiently impressed with the importance of political changes desired by the constituencies, advocated by members.elected to the House. 'Whatever may have been the force of (hat objection, the method adopted in lfifll has proved to be even more'unsatisfactory in its results. After a trial of tweniy-one years that method stands condemned. The alternative which the country now demands is the direct election of t|he Second Chamber by the vote, of the people, and- U> effect that change a Bill has been ■pre'parod, which'will be introduced in the Council during the present week. Two Constituencies. That Bill creates two constituencies— the North Island and the South Island, the latter including S'.flwart Island. The total number of Councillors to bo ultimately elected is fixed at forty—twenty from each island. The elections'will be heid on the samo day as tho~e for the House of Representatives, and at the smnt! polling-booths, separate relnrninß ollicers being employed as in the ease of the licensing polls. Every elector enlitled to vote in an election for the House nf Representatives will be entitled to voco in the election oi Legislative Councillors, each elector volini? for tlu> latter purpose in the same electoral districts in which he is entitled to vote for the election of the. Houte. The electoral rolls for the House iu each island will thus constitute in the aggregate the electoral roll for the election of Legislative Councillors in (that island. The election af Legislative Councillors will be held under the proportional system. Each elected Councillor will hold liis seat for the term Of two Parliaments of the House of Representative?, one-half of the total number retiring at each election. At the first election held under I liis system ten members only from ench island will be. elected, tmd n( the *»on(l election a further ; number of ten i'roin each 'island; and the twenty elected it the first election will retire at the third or next election, and so on. Provision will be made for the lilling of casual vacancies.' The qualification" foj- 01.---tion to the Council will be exactly the same n* thol; for election to Hie House, Th" present iiomjualcd uienibert wi.ll co.jilju.ug.

(o hold their scats until the'expiration of the respective terras of their e.\:tling niipoiiitmeiits. The contiimnnco tj this extent of tlio noiniiintive system is necessary; but during Hie period viiicli must thereby elapse before the oxpirition of I lie terms of members appointed by the Governor it' is believed tliut. the ilWu'ln-o force derived from direct representation will have great influence on uie delibor.vtions -of tire Council. J3"c provision will Ik> made for preserving tlie full exclusive privileges of the House of Representatives in all matters involving linn nee. Area of Electorates. II is impossible here 16 further summarise, the details of the measure, which will shortly be in tho> hands of honourable members. With regard to (he area of the electorates, the Government, has a precedent in the elections to the Senate of the Commonwealth of Australia, . in which each State forms an electorate; and with respect to election by proportional voting we have precedents in Tasmania, and South Africa. The practical application of the system- of proportional representation ta electorates returning 20 members presents certain difficulties, the clnet objection being the necessary diminution of the quota. The alternative is to pubdivide each island into several fairly equal large doctorates, each conterminous with the aggregate of particular electorates ot the House. A definition of.the subdivisions in such a manner as to secure real community of interest within the boundaries of each electorate is perhaps possible, but there is grave danger of failure if. at the first election, many electors .should find themselves separated by a boundary from those with whom they ought properly to be joined in the choice of their councillors, In the report of the English Royal Commission presented to tlio Imperial Parliament in the year 1910 will be found a lucid exposition of thg principles of proportional representation, and of the several systems adopted by the countries in which it is in force. ELECTORAL REFORM. SECOND BALLOTS TO BE REPEALED. The Government is fully sensible of the '.great'.necessity for electoral reform, and iii due course a measure will be submitted for Hie consideration' of members by which Hie system of second.ballots will be repealed and another metllod of election substituted.