MEASURE DESCRIBED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 305, 23 November 1932, Page 8

MEASURE DESCRIBED.

PROVISION FOR REFERENDUM. PROPOSED ELECTIVE CHAMBER. Final details of the Legislative Council Reform Bill, now before the Parliament of New South Wales, show that the plan has been taken broadly from that recommended in 1918, by the Second Chamber Conference, under Viscount Bryce, in Britain, for the reform of the House of Lords (states a Sydney correspondent).- New South Wales is the only State which retains the nominee system. . The Upper House m New South Wales, following on the additional appointments made every time there has been a change of Government, has reached farcical proportions. Numerically it is now considerably stronger .than the Legislative Assembly, and is more or less unwieldy. The Stevens Government has just increased the number by 19, and will now have a majority, providing there is always a full attendance. Under the new Bill, which must be approved by the people at a referendum, the membership of the Council will be limited to 60, elected by the members of both Houses, voting as one electoral body, but recording their votes separately. The system of election will be proportional representation. „ ; . In adapting that system of voting to the scheme it is provided that the transferable surplus from a successful candidate—that is, tho surplus over and above the quota required for election —will be one vote. That one vote will bo divided among other candidates in proportional fractions of one vote. The term of office of a Legislative Councillor will be 12 years, and one-fourth of the House will retire every three years. The CO members who are elected for the first constitution of the Legislative Council are to be elected, in four batches of 15 each. Nominations will be taken once for all, as though the 60 were to be elected in one batch. At the first of the four elections 15 will be selected, and the candidates for the second election will consist of the candidates for the first election iess the 15 who have been elected. A similar practice will be applied to the third and fourth election. In order to secure the rotational - }.* retirement of one-fourtli of the Couni cil every three years, the candidates elected at the first of the four elections will sit for 12 years ; at tho second of the elections for nine years; at the third six years; and at the fourth three years. Thereafter, all candidates elected will have a term of service of 12 years, except those elected to fill casual vacancies, whose term of service is to end with the term of the member replaced. Provisions are included restricting the number of nominations that may be made by any of the electors, that is, bv any member of the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. These provisions are designed to prevent a person from nominating a flood of candidates. It is proposed that for

the first new Council no such elector may sign as nominator or seconder more than two nomination forms; and that at subsequent elections no elector shall sign more than one.