VOTES FOR THE PARTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19177, 17 November 1925, Page 7

VOTES FOR THE PARTIES.

Sir, —Your correspondent " Disfranchised" asks for substantial objections to proportional representation. Here they are:—(l). It accentuates party strife and bitterness. (2). It makes, a welter of ticket voting to the detriment of reasoned judgment. (3). When three parties are standing, it produces disgraceful bargaining for preferences, to which many capable men will not subscribe as candidates. (4). The ballot paper is about half the size of a newspaper sheet, which causes dire confusion to many electors, particularly those whose eyesight is not good. (5). The electorates so arranged are cumbersome and practically unworkable, except to a candidate of independent means or one who is heavily " backed." The consequence is many candidates are quite unknown to a large body of electors, and their abilities unrecognised. These are the main evils of proportional representation, which have been proved in elections in New South Wales and in Christehurch City. On two occasions a council so elected in Christehurch has repealed proportional representation and gone back to " first past the post." In New South Wales the Labour .Party also proposes to abolish the scheme, and to go back to single member seats. The Nationalist Party of New South Wales is also largely in favour of repeal Like many other people " Disfranchised" is under the delusion that proportional representation provides them with better quality representation. But this is not proved unless the elector goes thVough the entire rigmarole of addition, multiplication, division', subdivision, and preference transfers which the electoral staff has to indulge in to produce results. A friend of mine iu Christehurch was a most ardent proportionalist. He would cover scjuiii'O yards of paper with all sorts of weird and wonderful figuring. But when ho went to go back over it all hs P iC j* duced nn •entirely different result on each occasion with the same set of Then he took a .job on an electoral statt to gain first-hand information. He got the information all right and name for proportional representat on political roguery. R. M. Thomson.