ELECTORAL REFORM

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 65, 19 March 1925, Page 9

ELECTORAL REFORM

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—tAccording to the telegraphic report appearing in your issue of the 13th mst., th;e Hon. Mr. M'Leod, in- the course of his speech at Geraldine, attacked proportional representation on the ground that it would make responsible government impossible, apparently for the_ reason that it would assure, representation to minority groups. This is evidently the latest objection- to be discovered, and it is interesting to note that it is being repeated with machinelike accuracy by Government "propagandists, who are at their wits' end to snatch' another minority victory at the -coming- elections. I have two comments to offer on the Minister's attack. First, it is quite true that proportional representation would put an.end to the fiction that the community is diviaed into ''two great political parties," and that we must support one or the other. Nobody really believes this fiction; however, and pubhe life will be the better for the elimination of mere make-believe. It is undoubtedly true that proportional representation would raise the status of individual representatives, and hence that it .would abate the importance of "machine leaders. But to say that to accomplish this would be to make government -unstable is palpably absurd and at,variance with the facts in those countries where propoTtional representation exists. • ..... .

Secondly, Mr. M'Lebd would have us believe that only under the present sygtem (so-called) is what he is pleased to call, stable. government possible. -lest reply is to be found in our own history. In May next sixty-five years will have elapsed since we obtained responsible government. • During that time we have had thirty-one Ministries, an average "life" of little more than two and a half years. Yet from 1,856 to 18(9 we had quinquennial Parliaments and since the latter year the life of Parliament is three years. Our two first -Ministries lasted respectively thirteen and twelve days. Though Fox was Premier four times, his aggregate time in office was little more than four years. Atkinson was' Premier five times, but only four years altogether! His first Ministry lasted thirteen days, and his fourth six days! Thus, we see that what Mr. M;Leod and his friends are pleased to call stable government is not) necessarily secured by the present system of election.

After his hapless attempt at criticism of proportional representation at beraldine, it would certainly appear that Mr. Al Lebd will serve his party better by limiting his argumentative abilities to the more congenial' task of defending the Government's blundering land policy —I am, etc., '■- . J'

kuu- x," i.' P-. J. O'EEGAN. 16th March.