The Evening Star TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1923. ELECTORAL SYSTEMS.

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 4

The Evening Star TUESDAY, JULY 24, 1923. ELECTORAL SYSTEMS.

Me Massey has not been very communicative so far as to tho ideas which have been germinating in his mind l for tho improvement of tho electoral system of tho dominion. Very probably he is not euro yet what his own proposals will be. It is natural to suppose, however, that his party has been considering the question, and the plans which it is understood to favor at tho present stage aro outlined in an interesting message from our parliar montary correspondent, Reform's preference is believed to he for a mixed system. Tho present city electorates would bo grouped together, and would return their members under Proportional representation. That was the plan suggested by Sir Joseph Ward a few years ago. It did not impress Reform, and, for that matter, tho idea of having two different doctoral systems, one for the cities and another for tho country, did not appear to appeal much to any political section. But Reform has a new reason now for approving a proposal which, when it was put forward four j'ears .ago in tho manifesto of a 'political opponent, it scouted. The “first past tho post system,” with all its crudeness and capacity for injustice, and even because of those defects, served the. Reform Party very well for seven yj:-a,rs after it came into power. The vote-splitting which took ptoco in triangular contests in the elections of 1919 operated almost everywhere to its advantage. As the strength of Labor has increased it has ceased to have that effect, and triangular contests, more especially for city seats, have been apt to form a bad outlook for the Reform Party. It is not improbable, therefore, that Reform has como to seo virtues in Proportional Representation for the city constituencies which it did not see before.

But the plan of Mr Massey’s supporters, as it is conjectured, goes further than the appropriation of Sir Joseph Ward’s strictly limited reform. Mr Massey proposes to improve also the system of election in noncity electorates. They would return still only one member apiece, but they would do so with a preferential vote. The question arises whether it would not be better to apply this system of preferential voting, in single-member constituencies to tho whole of the electors of the dominion. Disadvantages have been urged against it. It is said that it conduces to tho same

bargainings and manipulations between parties ns made tho curse of the second l ballot system, tho solo difference being that tho bargains aro made before and not after a poll. As regards advantages, it is simpler than Proportional Representation, and, in theory at least, promises avoidance of tho frequent injustice of “ first past tho post.” That rough-and-ready system worked more fairly at tho last General Election than it did at the one before it, but the virtues in it which can be depended on aro confined practically to its simplicity. Proportional Representation, for both cities and country has been embodied in the official Liberal as well ns in the Labor policy; but many Liberals are known to haiVO their grave doubts of it, and when tho disadvantages which it has,, as well ns its theoretical fairness, are considered it appears to bo very much of a delusion. It “snapshots” very accurately tho state of an electorate at a particular time, which is more likely to bo an abnormal than a normal one. and the result of that “snapshotting” is then “fixed” so far as tho constitution of Parliament is concerned, since tho method is inapplicable to by-eloctions. It is made for tho group system, tending to paralyse Parliament, 'and it is not easily reconciled with the country quota or with the great variations in the distribution of population which exist in an electorate like New Zealand. One of its opponents who survived its test in the last Christchurch elections held under it declared that “if Proportional Representation has not received its deathblow at the recent municipal elections held in Christchurch, then the plain lessons of tho elections—of confusion, unwarranted expense, informal voting, and undue preference received by candidates whose names appeared early on the ballot papers —will have been overlooked by bewildered voters.” To be early nr the alphabet would appear to bo tho best qualification of n candidate under this cumbrous system. Tho objector we have quoted, who enjoyed that accidental advantage for bis own part, pointed out that those candidates whoso names commenced with tho letter “ A ” —and wore therefore first on tho voting paper—were all elected, most, if not all of them, at tho first count. A candidate whoso name commenced with “W” was not elected until after tho 187th count. Mr Massey is expected to put his proposals before Parliament this session for the purpose of discussion only. Their final form is not likely to be assumed till ho has heard all the opinions of tho llouso. A hotchpotch system, worse than any recognised! one, might be tbe result of that procedure ; but the discussion will at least be an interesting one.