VOTING SYSTEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 57, 5 September 1934, Page 8

VOTING SYSTEMS

TOWN AND COTJXTKY

SEPARATE PROPOSALS

Proportional representation for the four main cities and preferential voting for the country areas was advocated by Mr. A. E. Jull (Government, Waipawa) in the course of his speech in the Budget debate in the House of Eepresentatives yesterday. He also urged that private members of Parliament should be given more scope ■ in administrative work.

Mr. Jull said that ho agreed with the extension of the life of Parliament, and now that that point was settled the Government might consider electoral reform. Every system of election had its drawbacks, but he thought that the present system had more than any other. He was distinctly inclined towards preferential voting, because that system allowed more than one candidate from any party a chance to go to the, polls without upsetting the election for his party. At the same time he also favoured proportional representation which had up till recently been advocated by the Labour Party, but dropped at the last annual conference. That system might be adopted for the four main cities, with preferential voting for the other places. A Labour member: That's an Irish stew.

Mr. Jull said that when the Labour Party- turned proportional representation down the system had also been turned down by the Christchurch City Council, which had adopted it for many years. Proportional representation was not suitable for country districts, as it would make the electorates too large, especially in the South Island, but in the cities it would give other parties a chance to secure representation.

Mr. J. A. Lee (Labour, Grey Lynn): Did you graduate in the thimble-rigging school?

Mr. Speaker: Order! That interjection is most improper. Mr. Jull said that the procedure of Parliament might be amended so as to give the eighty members a greater share in the work of administration, and at ihe same time cut down the length "of the sessions. He suggested that, each Minister should have attached to him a committee of the House which would meet monthly, and which would' assist him in the administrative work of the country. A great deal of time_ was taken up,with criticisms of administrative work, and only the Minister could answer that criticism. If the Minister had a committee to assist a'great deal of time would bo saved, and the session would last weeks, instead of months. Tho shortening of the work of Parliament would also induce more people to consider standing for Parliament, and the country would have a greater number of candidates to choose from. There were thousands of men in the Dominion iust as capable as those in. the House lit the present time, but they could not afford to give five months of their time to attending a session of Parliament.