PARLIAMENT. VOTING SYSTEMS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 104, 29 October 1909, Page 3

PARLIAMENT. VOTING SYSTEMS.

LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENT. BILL EEJECTED. The afternoon eitting in the House of Representatives yesterday was entirely devoted to a discussion on Ministerial answers to questions The adjourned debate on Mr. F. M. 1). Fisher's Legislative Amendment Bill (providing for a new system of voting at clectionsj was continued in the evening. Mr. Poole, who moved the adjournment when the Bill was last under discussion, opposed the measure. j Mr. , R. A. Wright condemned the Second Ballot Act, and gave tho Bill his strong support. After further debate Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) moved that the Bill should be read a second time that day six months. Ihis was seconded by _\ir. T. Buxton (Geraldine). Mr. Fisher said that his Bill had been rriticised as crude and full of imperfections. He admitted that, but clauses I to 5 were not really the BilL Clause 6 repealing the Second Ballot Act, was the vital clause. If the Bill had not bean made virtually a party question the House would pars it. They could etrike out clauses i to 5. Hon. Mr. Millar : Why did you not bring in a one clause Bill? Mr. Fisher said that, he would do so next session when he hoped to have Mr. iMillar's help in putting it through. Hon. Mr. Millar: No you will not. Mr. Fisher w-ent on to deal with various systems of voting. The Prime Minister T Let us get to a Vote on the six months, and gei on. Mr. Massey : Will you vote against giving it six months. The Prime Minister: Yes. Mr. Fisher said that he thought the Premier was coming gradually round, and he believed he would eventually be converted to the Bill. The Prime Minister: If you talk much more yov will convince anyone to the contrary. Mr. Fisher continued that he objected to the second ballot because it disqualified seamen, and absent voters who had | exercised their permits at the first ballot ; it cost a great deal of money ; and it was productive of more bitterness and political strife than any electoral measure. .".h-3 Prime Minister said that it would be a mistake to defer the Bill for six months — it might bo injurious to it. (Laughter). He hoped that the motion to give it six months would be negatived on the voices. A division could then be taken on the Bill. Mr. Massey regretted that the member for Hurunui had moved Bis amendment. Personally he (Mr. Massey) did not agree with' the details of the Bill but the principle had to be considered. He would be prepared, indeed, to delete every clause or the Bill with the exception of that which .repealed the Second Ballot Act. He did not care about making prophesies, but he thought that in the future, so long as the Act was on the statute-bock it would be found that the dominant party would put up three candidates, and at the second ballot combine the committees of tho three. . The Hon. J. A. Millar hoped the amendment would not be carried. His vote would go in tho direction of giving the Bill twelve months. He admitted, in reply to an interjection by Mr. Massey that he had always opposed the Second Ballot, but said it should be given a fair trial. In his opinion the old system had done very little harm. Ivlr. Massey : Hear, hear. Why not revert to it? Mr. Millar repeated that the existing system should be given a fair trial. .vlr. J. P. Luke said he •frould oppose the amendment and vote for tho Bill. The present Second Ballot Act was entirely uusatistactory. The Hon D. Buddo condemned tho complexities of Mr. Fisher's measure, and urged that the Second Ballot Act should be given a fair trial. Mr. Wiliord said the Second Ballot Acfc was a political babe that should have been strangled or asphyxiated at birth. He would vote for the. second reading of the Bill in tho hope that all clauses, save that repealing the Second Ballot Act, would be struck out in committee. The .discussion was carried on in a half-hearted sort of a way until 11.50 p.m. Thosa who spoke did so to a Daro quorum, the Speaker's attention being repeatedly called to "the state of the House." Mr. Forties's amendment was lost on tho voices, and the second reading of the Bill, on a division, was lost by 34 votes to 27. THE PUBLIC SERVICE. Mr. Herdman's Public Service Bill ■was the next order of the day. The measure seeks to put the control of the service in the hands of a board. The Prime Minister moved the adjournment of the House. Mr. Herdman rose and strongly protested against the adjournment. Private members, ho said, had a right to have their Bills considered. The Prime Minister said the Bill would have to be ruled out by the Speaker, as it- contained appropriation clauses. It would have to be shaped in committee. For this reason it was only wasting time to discuss the Bill. In the past he had moved the adjournment under somewhat similar circumstances. Mr. Herdman called for a division on the motion to adjourn. The motion was carried by 35 votes to 23, and the House rose at" 12.10 p.m. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council in the afternoon listened to a long speech by Mr. Jenkinson (reoorted elsewhere) on the Addington Railway Workshops enquiry.