The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1888.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5237, 5 June 1888, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1888.

Hams's system of representation that has been incorporated in a somewhat modified form in the new Electoral .Bill was discussed in Parliament as far back ns 18S1. lii that year a Representation Bill had been promised and iv view of the Government bringing down such a measure Dr Wallis, tho member for Auckland City West, moved "That this Houso is of opinion that the system of proportional or pcrsonnl representation known as Hare's system ought to bo adopted in the promised Representation Bill." Dr Wallis described the present method of election as obsolete, as the same as lhat used by our remote ancestors, who counted heads. We divide the country into territorial divisions called electorates, audi then require tho people of those electorates to decide.which of two, three, or more candidates th >j» -wish to bo their representative. Nothing can bo ruder or cruder than such a system. '' We hustle,'' ho said, " the people of au clectorato into a crowd or mob varying from a few hundred to a few thousand, and wo decree that each of these crowds or mobs shall have the same electoral or political power. Wo then pronounce a few party watchwords, and tho people of that crowd rush some to tho rig'it and some to tho left and heads are counted. Ho who has the most heads in his favor becomes the representative ; he is sent on as a representative to the Legislature, to be a tool in tho hands of the leader of his party. This is the system then which has come down to us from remote ages into this last quarter of the nineteenth century, and it is timo that an cud should be put to it." It follows as a matter of course, that in closely contested elections little more than half of tho electors can be by any chance represented. Now Hare's sys-tem is designed to mako Parliament a truly representative body, in which, as it were, the wholo country should bo pictured. It is not onsy to explain that system so as to make it perfectly clear, but the principlo of it is this: All voters to be represented m Parliament; each member of Parliament to represent an equal number of voters: eaoh elector to havo ono vote. To accomplish this it must bo necessary to transfer votes from one o-mdidato to another, sothat no votes aro thrown away on candidates already elected, or on thoso who have no chance of obtaining the quota. Tho electorates should bo single, though that is not absolutely essential, and the elections for tho whole colony must bo held on the one day. Tho next thing to do is to find the quota ; this is done by dividing the total number of votes polled by the number of inombers to bo elected. Now, at tho general elections last year the total number of votes polled at all booths throughout tho colony was 111,911; by dividing this number by 91, the number of members to bo elected, wo get 1239 as the quota. There were 22-1 candidates. Supposing that that election had been held under Hare's system the followiug course would havo been taken :— Tho name* of the 224 candidates nominated would be sent in to and published by tho Chief Registrar. On the election day, tho electors having provided themselves with voting papers from tho Returning Officer, thoy would write on them the names of 91 candidates, or a less number if they pleased, and thentako or sendthepapers to thepolling booth. Thepo tho votes would be counted so that the number of votes polled on that day would be ascertained in every electorate. The papors are then forwarded to the Chief Registrar -who ascertains the total numbor of votes polled, and divides that number by that of the members to bo elected, and so obtains tho quota. All the candidates who have polled over and abovo that quota are declared elected, and tho surplus votes go to thoso who come next on the list, and >o on through several countings of tho papers until tho 91 seats ure filled. Into this part of the business, however, the general elector would have nothing to do ; he would only know the result of tho election several days after tho poll had been taken. The great recommendation of Hare's system is that it secures tho representation of every great interest, and every sentiment iv tl\e country. No man can get into Parliament under it who does not distinctly represent something ; nor can he get in by a fluko ; he must represent in somo way the views of a considerable section in the community.