WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 290, 27 August 1918, Page 3

WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION

LECTURE BY MISS LYRA TAYLOR, LL.B.

A' meeting of tho Wellington branch ■of tho Women's National Council was leld in tho Y.W.O.A. rooms last'evening, and a very interesting lecture upon '''Proportional Representation" was .given by Miss Lyra Taylor, LL.B. Miss iMigland (president) ivas-in Hid chair. Miss Taylor first pointed out ,somc> ■of the obvious faults under which tho present system of representation ..labours. In considering the basis of government throughout the majority of the modern States of the world, wo lound that theoretically at least government was based upoii the consent of tho people governed. It was said that the people, choso their representatives, the people made their laws, the people was the sovereign.' When'these statements came to bo examined, however, at -u-ns found not so apparent that tho people mado the laws. While\ it was admitted that.laws should express tlio mind of the people, we were altogether indifferent as to the lnnchinery'used dor discovering that mind. It was said that all tho citizens of the State were present in our Houses of Legislature by proxy. If that were so, was it not ■of supremo importance that the method ■of choosing those representatives sho.uld no as fair and satisfactory as possible? _ The great value of popular government •was not its capacity for doing certain things; its value was that no other system offered tho same possibilities of individual development. But the character of an Assembly elected under a system of popular government and its ■efficiency as a governing unit depended ■upon the 'method used in its election. If each elector had, as it were, a personal interest in tho Assembly, if he luiow that the best possible metliods were being used to give expression in the Assembly to his mind and wishes, ,then his mind and imagination were stimulated. Miss Taylor considered •that much of tlio present indifference to all that -was happening in the political sphere was distinctly traceable to the inefficiency and deadening effect o£ •the present system ' of electing the people's representatives. Among the popular illusions of the present system ivas that one that the people were tho '.'sovereign people," ■ 'and were called upon, as a sovereign,' to decide finally on all great issues, including, for example, such matters as the decision Between peace and war. It was not •.necessary" to point out the fallacy of this belief. The possession of a ,vote ■did indeed force the Government to j take, some notice of the elector, but the' power 'given by tho vote was often more negative than positive It enabled the people to dismiss a Govern- , ineiit which .was unsatisfactory, but it ' did not do 'a. great deal more than that. -Further, when only one candi- ' date was presented to a constituency K by a certain party, the elector had no chauce of modifying tho views of the , party. An individual member has ! little chance of being independent of a ' pariy. In all important particulars he *' had to conform to the party's require- ] tnents or his career as a politician was c -finished. J Other failures of representation tinder the present system were pointed , out by Miss Taylor, who quoted Mr. , Asquith's _ statement, "There should be no strain of opinion honestly enter- c tamed by any substantial body of the king's'subjects which did not find s within the House of representation and speech."' Dealing with proportional t representation, Miss Taylor discussed ' the "single transferable vote" system. I

It was this system that had gained most power, mid whicli was supported by the liritish Proportional llcpresantiitiyo Society. Tlio grea&thiug to lealisc was that substantial minorities were'entitled to representation. There were two main essentials of the single transferable vote system of proportional representation. The first essential was multimcmberal constituencies. There must- bo several members to each constituency. If there were only one .member then a singlo party or n single body of electors had a representative, bur. the remaining electors were entirely unrepresented. It was part of the scheme that where possible the constituencies should ho local for units,; groat cities, or counties. ■ A second essential was the transferable vote. Jjy that was meant allotting the excess votes of an elected candidate to bo avnilalilo for other candidates of the same party. A copy of a specimen, Voting paper such as y.-nuld be used under this sjstera \:us shown. .Miss Taylor expln'in(■(l that after the elector had done his part the principle, upon which tho returning ofiicer worked was as follows: — .•!:;•'.■• -ry candidate who obtained a cer■taiii proportion of votes whs elected. Say that tlio number of votes required for election was 2000. Evory cindidate who secured 2000 was elected. If a candidate obtained more than the required number the re-turning officer carried forward the, votes in excess to those candidate:! marked on the ballot papers by votes as their next preference. If a second-choice candidate did not need the votes (being already elected), the returning officer transferred them to a third-choice candidate, i and so on. The votes which were \ transferred to a candidate were added to tlio votes originally obtained by him, mid whenever a candidate readied the

required proportion ho was elected. After all tho surplus votes had been transferred, tliere might still remain •vacancies to bo filled, and there might he more candidates unelected than there were vacancies to he filled. In j such a case the candidate at the but-! torn of the poll was excluded, and his i votes, instead of being wasted, were I transferred to ' those candidates who were marked on his ballot papers as the voters' choice. Miss Taylor pointed out that the system t was in vogue in Tasmania, Denmark (in the Upper House), Belgium, and Finland. A point stressed by Miss-Taylor was this—if the majority were to rule, to have tho decision in the filial issue minorities must have the fullest liberty of growth and expression. All new ideas', v all great movements had small beginnings, and must live brsp in the minds and imaginations of a minority of the citizens. ' One did not wish a minority to have • '.indue power, and there was very little I danger of that occurring. But they : should, however, have fair, represents- ' tioh in the councils of the (State. By using this equitable'-system of representation it offered a greater hope of : our political muddles being solved by : reasonable methods by augument, by t [..debate, and finally by .tho fair and honest trial of various schemes. If a fair, method of representation vras not adopted only two courses were left open to minorities—one being notion ' against the law, upheaval, and finally revolution, and' the other simply' a l course.of inaction and entire indifference to politics, to social reform, and to the public welfare. A considerable amount of discussion ! followed, and in the course of the ques- s tions' the system was further elaborat- ? ed by Miss Taylor. J A hearty thanks to the speaker concluded the evening l s , 6