ELECTORAL CHANGES

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 8

ELECTORAL CHANGES

GOVERNMENT'S Bill FORECASTED. CITY SEATS GROUPED. MIXTURE OF VOTING SYSTEMS, [From Ouk Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July _ 23. _ The character of the Prime Minister's recent announcement about the Government’s proposed electoral reform measure has canned a good deal ox speculation in the lobbies, aa it was no doubt intended to do, because Mr Massey was purposely vague, merely hinting that it would be a surprise. Members who _ have followed the situation closely believo that they have tho clue to the mystery, especially as some of the Government Party make no secret that a method has been found of dealing with the increased vote of tho Labor Party, which, under tho first-past-the-post method, in the cities threatens to give that section more representation than it would bo entitled to on a fair proportion of the votes cast. Tho Government’s solution is reported to be a mixture of methods, which will certainly be a surprise, because country electors will vote on one method-and city electors will have an entirely different system of electing their representatives. Tho Government is said to bo contemplating a reversion to the former method of grouping city constituencies and applying Proportional Representation to these electorates. If the existing grouping is followed, it will mean that Auckland would be a huge constituency, comprising eifht electorates which have an aggregate voting strength of 143,000. Tho five Wellington City and suburban seals represent an B electoral strength of 90,500; tho constituencies in and around Christchurch return seven members representing 122,770 votes; while. Dunedin has five closelygrouped seats containing 86,000 voteis. It is suggested that the Government plana to place these twenty-five scats under Pioportional Representation, leaving the remaining fifty-one as single-member constituencies, with the important change that preferential voting will bo adopted for the elections. This is the reported shape of the measure which the Government will introduce; but it has no intention of forcing tho issue this session, preferring to have, a full discussion, when the views of every member will become known, and amendments may be framed with tho object ox meeting the wishes of a majority of the House. , -ii Laborites regard the plan as simply c c-sio-ned to “ dish the Wings,_ while the Liberals are preserving an attitude of suspended judgment, wondering whether it may bo wise to accept even an instalment of ‘reform. Their intentions as a party will naturally not be determined until the actual text of the Government s Bib is before Parliament.