THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1884.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue XXI, 2 April 1884, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1884.

The Auckland Trades and LabourOouncil Tiave issued to the. members/of the House of Representatives a circular, notifying that they have passed two resolutions, and- requesting "the members to support legislative action based on them in the House of 'Itepresentatives. The first of these resolu-. tions urge 3 that the four of Auckland, "Wellington, Ohristchurch,; and Dunedin should be each formed; into one J electorate '■with" three'or four members, according to popiulation. The second' asks them to oppose the continuance of the present, system -of assisted and nominated immigration. Why the Trades and Labour; Council should take up the question of the city electorates as a subject for their special agitation, it is difficult to see. The; Ministry, we have been told, are about to bring in a Bill to endeavour to carry the object into effect, but we do not understand that this organisation, which- is supposed specially to represent. the working men, is; in anyway'attached to the present' Minis-, try, and is anxious to exert what ever strength it may have to assist the Government in carrying its measures. The circular, , it may. be ' remarked, does not. think it necessary or worth while to give reasons for the conclusions come to, although one would think that the Trades and Labour Council would have considered it incumbent on them, in addressing intelligent men, in the position of members of the House of Representatives, to explain why they took;up these special matters, and also: to have set forth the reasons which induced them to come to certain. conclusions. They.did not do that, however. The members of the House of Representatives are to take a certain course on two important questions, 'which are specified, simply because the members of the Trades and Labour Council desire them. are thus left entirely to guess at the reasons which have moved the Council. This body'acts J just as great autocrats in former times did — considering themselves . above ] giving reasons. Probably it was"because | the Council had some shadowy idea that to lump the electorates together res- j tricted what is called " plural voting." That is to say, a man might now have property in City West and City North, and so could vote in two electorates, while a man voting on the residential j qualification could only vote. in one electorate. But. then; if the city electorates are joined, and four members, are sent, plural votes are simply increased. But if town districts are to be fused together to stop plural voting, why should not country districts' be treated in the same way? 'Plural voting has in these constituencies more cffect, as the numbers are s&aller. The kind of plural voting which has always been most strongly complained of is where people are brought - from' the town, to vote in country and this Bill of the Government and of the Trades and Labour Council j would not affect that in the slightest degree. ; ~ ■ ■ . . ' \ ; . We have already stated, some time ago, . that there are znaay reasons for opposing the Government measure, and these we must continue to press notwithstanding the Trades and Labour Council. One most cogent reason for the retention of the single electorates is the fact that in. .them the rolls may . be kept comparatively pure, and personation may effectually be put.-,a stop to. With huge electorates, returning , four members, this is absolutely impossible. No possible body of men. can be got together who can scrutinise: such an electorate as Auckland would be if returning four members, and with ? City East, City West, City North, audi the remainder, which would have to j be carved out of Eden and Grafton I districts, no possible scrutiny could; keep the roll from having in it large < numbers of -names which could be; personated, XjoubJe voting could not} be' checked, for so large -a. district) would have to be furnished, with; several polling. places, whereas- at' present, with V one polling, jjiaqe, j it ; ; can. be > absolutely . prevented.; The Trades and Labour Council "may, depend upon it that any evil -done .by what is knowa as " plural voting" on property qualifications, is a mere trifle -to the plural voting which. would stake place by the* same man• voting several times in the same district r at : different polling places. Let us put a-case;, A man votes, honestly at 'one polling placei , One of the electioneering hangers-on

thinks he can personate . thia man at another polling place; - The Returning Officer, in going" over the papers, discovers the fraud, and he straightway throws out both papers, and thus an honest'elector is deprived of his vote, ttD'ae change proposed would give so many chances for all the blackguardisms of electioneering, tactiqs, that.one.is apt. td that; those, who ,agitot»i|or deigning to give any reasons, or attempting to convince the judgment of those they talk to—must be desirous of: bringing .about a state of things .in which, elections are decided by corrupt; practices. Another reason against; big electorates is, that they rendec elections exceedingly expensive, and make it impossible for any but very -wealthy men to become candidates. This would be'so even, in the case of general elections, .'but much, more so in the case of vacancies. If an accidental vacancy occurred in the representation of the dity of Auckland, a contest would be certain, and in so large a constituency the expense would bei enormous. i -The most elaborate pre;cautions (which must necessarily in great measure fail) would have to be taken, and all the loafers and hangerson about town would have to be " taken on," as the phrase is. It is surely not the object of the Trades and Lafcour douncil to throw the representation iitt'o the hands of the wealthy, merely for the sake of those who pick up a few pounds on occasion of an election. TheOtago people have given a reason for endeavouring to have Dunedin constituted into one electorate—namely, that they would thereby secure a body of members who would act together in obtaining from the Government advantages for Dunedin. We think that very likely they are all' wrong in that f- buti' there it is. Mr. Dick's reason forframing a Bill to carry out the purpose is, because he thinks that he will thereby secure his own seat in Dunedin, which he has little chance of as things stand at. present. But we cannot understand how tlieae jpeoplc should-be zealously aided by any body of people in Auckland. The only result of such a change here would be to enormously increase all kind 1 ? and forms of corruption, and to throw the representation more completely into the hands of rich men.