PARLIAMENT

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 256, 24 July 1924, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

ELECTORAL LAW PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION BILL TALKED OUT The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. . The Labour. Party instituted a lengthy discussion on the motion or the Prime Minister for leave to introduce the Legislature Amendment Bill. The l,eader of the Labour Party (Mr. Holland) questioned the seriousness or the Government regarding the Bill, which was only an effort to “gerrymander” the electorate. A Bill for proportional representation would bo supported by Labour, provided it secured the representation of the whole of the Dominion, rather than of the cities alone. In a lengthy speech, Mr. Holland reviewed the history of political parties in New Zealand. The Bill, he said, had no hope of being passed. The Prime Minister: You have not seen the Bill. Mr. Holland: “I am discussing the Bill tabled last year; if there is another Bill, a breach of faith has been committed.” The onlv thing in the Bill worthy of consideration was the compulsory registration, he added. Against all the struggles of .the past, with its great achievements in the direction of political democracy, the present Bill was flung into the House, with a determination to alter the existing. system for one making for a. political minority in defiance of the will of tho maioritv. The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Lib., Invercargill) said he was pleased to see the Government endeavouring to remove a blot which had hitherto existed. There was no doubt that the .first-uast-the-post system was defrauding thousands of neonle from their rights to enter Parliament. M"r. T.vsnar: What is vour remedy? Mr. Hanan: “Proportional representation—l believe this is the ideal system.” He hoped, at all events, the Government would do its best to get away from the present antiquated system. Bill an Improvement. Mr. G. W. Forbes (Lib., Hurunui), in expressing himself in favour of proportional representation, said that despite the opposition shown in some country districts (because its working was not understood), he felt this could be overcome. However, while he favoured proportional representation, ha would support the Bill as an improvement on the present system. Mr. M. J. Savage (Lab., Auckland "West) wondered whether tho Prime Minister was really serious in his wish, and produced a copy of Hansard of 1898, in which he said Mr. Massey had expressed himself differently from his present proposals. He saw no reason why the Government could not bring down a system of proportional representation. Mr. J. McCombs (Lab., Lyttelton) said he had weighed up the issues, and after asking himself whether the proposed measure would make Parliament a “nation in miniature” as against the first-past-the-post system, lie had come to the conclusion that instead of a reform it was a retrogression. While it contained a small measure of what was wanted, 77% per cent, of the Bill was diametrically opposed to the principle of proportional representation. Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Lab., Christchurch East) said the Labour Party wanted proportional representation, but not projxirtional representation prostituted. He maintained that the member for Hurunui had spoken for himself, and not for the people cf tho country districts, in saying that they would not accept proportional representation until it had been tried in the cities (resembling the man who was afraid to take a dose of his own medicine without trying it on the dog). Mr. A. L. Monteith <Lab., Wellington East), challenged the fairness of the. Bill, and expressed the opinion that it would do more harm than good, and amounted to “an attempt to may a political two-un trick with a doubleheaded penny.” He advised rhe members who were sitting in the House on a minority to view the matter with great concern. Mr. Parr: Perfectly safe. Mr. Monteith: I admit that I myself am a minority member Mr. Massey: Hear, hear. (Laughter.) Mr Monteith said he was in favour of proportional representation, but not disproportional representation. Mr. F. Langstone (Lab.. Waiinarino) said that this- was the only country in the world that suggested two systems in the one country. If proportional representation was right why, when the experience from all parts of the world was available, should it not operate throughout New Zealand? The country quota, he said, cut very little ice indeed. All that the people in the country wanted, was fairness and justice. bpt they did not want any quota over the city. A “Piebald” Horse. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilford) outlined the Liberal Party’s stand on the matter, and said he did not prepose to discuss the measure because he did not know what •it contained, but if it contained what was offered last year, he intended to support it because it was better to cross the .river of failure on a piebald horse than to have no s horse at all. The House could verv well spend a fortnight in putting into operation a measure that provided for electoral reform. In replv to suggestions that had been made bv Labour members that the Government had introduced any measure to help the Liberal Party, he wished to remove that ininressinn. The tea adjournment interrupted the debate, the Bill being talked out. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. The Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill, providing for the appointment of women as Justices, of the Peace, was read a second time pro forma, on the motion cf the Hon. T. W. Hislop., and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The Council then adioiirned until tn-day, out of respect to the memory of the late Sir Walter Buchanan. A LABOUR PROPHECY WHERE THE VOTES WILL GO TO The Prime Minister was moved to a genuinely hearty chuckle at the seriousness of the Labour member for Christchurch East (Mr. H. T. Armstrong) in the/ House yesterday during the stonewall on the Legislature Amendment Bill. “I know this,” said Mr. Armstrong, at the conclusion of an attack on the fairness of the proposed measure, “that at the next general election Reform is going to advise its supporters to give the preference vote to tho Liberal Party, end that the Liberal Party is going to give its second vote to tho Reform Party . . . and the Labour Party is going to give its second preference vote to tho middle-of-the-road party in preference to the extreme party on the other side.”