The Hastings Standard. MONDAY, SEPT. 7. 1908. THE SECOND BALLOT.

Hastings Standard, Volume XII, Issue 5948, 7 September 1908, Page 4

The Hastings Standard. MONDAY, SEPT. 7. 1908. THE SECOND BALLOT.

THE Second Ballot Bill received i severe treatment on Friday night when it was taken in committee, and it emerged from the ordeal a very different measure to the one which passed its second reading earlier in the week. Strange as it may seem its mutilation was the work of its author, and was dene at the instigation of a member of the Opposition. The dras'ic amendment which has so altered the principle of the Bill is made to sub-clause 2 of clause 2. and reads as follows:—"To add a proviso to the effect that where at the first ballot the first candidate had polled 500 votes more than the second candidate he should be deemed to have obtained an absolute majority, even though he should not have done so mathematically." It is difficult to see how the new system j under which the next general election will bo conducted (if the bill passes as it now stands) will be an improvement to the old system. We notice thai one member supported the Premier's amendment on the grounds that it would weed j out many undesirable candidates I " who" he said " would stand though they knew their chances of heading the poll were not very good." To put it mildly this view can only be regarded as an absolutely idiotic one. Take for instance the state of political affairs in Hawke's Bay. Here we have the promise of six candidates contesting the seat. Will the amendment cause either one ot them to stand down on the grounds named ? We venture the opinion that not one of them will. Yet if all go to the poll and get individually anything like the support they each anticipate, the coming member for Hawke's Bay will be re- j turned on a minority vote, notwithstanding the fact that he will have to poll 500 more votes than the runner-up. Under the old system the returns of the last general election show that fifteen members were returned without obtaining an absolute majority.and no one can claim that the system gave any encouragement at all to j candidates who were fighting a hopeless fight. This year under the provisions of the Second Ballot Bill with its 500 majority clause aspir-inj" for political honours or perMps even notority will have no in taking a trial run, and electors will probabiy cast their vote in favour of the man uf their choice, vainly tru-ting to j the handicap in the first heat to j keep the seat safe for the political j side'.they support. The Opposition press already rejoice in the great change that has been made to the Bill. The measure as it at first appeared killed all chance of seats being won by trickery or rather ! clever vote-splitting. As it stands now the way is open for all manner of diplomatic moves, and unless Sir Joseph Ward has the election campaign better organised than dors appear at this moment, minority representation will largely increase in the next Parliament.