ELECTORAL REFORM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8737, 20 May 1914, Page 6

ELECTORAL REFORM

Tbo “ Reformers’ ” reiterated solemn promise of electoral reform has, so far ■as the Representative Chamber of the Legislature is concerned, apparently stopped with the repeal of th© Second Ballot Act. The Prime Minister, it is true, has promised that if he sees anything better than the “ first-past-the-post” system ho will ask the tur© to put it on the statute book. On the other hand, he has shown signs of' believing’ that there is nothing better in sight. At the same time, it cannot be forgotten that he is constantly declaring the Ministerial intention of having his colleague’s measure for the reform of the Legislative Council passed into law. There is only one session of Parliament left for the work, and in that session it must be done, if ever ; that is, if it is to be done under the auspices of the present Government. Now, let us suppose this promise of the pledge-breakers carried out. In that case it will bo undeniable that with its system of Proportional Representation the Council will be considered by many good people to be as perfect a representative chamber as th© wit of man has yet devised. It will certainly be a far more representative chamber than the Representative Chamber itself. The latter will facilitate the election of some minority representatives, while the former will make such election absolutely impossible. But this superiority of representative power of the inferior chamber will be intolerable to the democratic instinct. The Government, however, persists in making the Second Chamber more representative than the representative chamber which has the decisive share of Parliamentary power, appointing Ministers and controlling the purse, and possessing a superior right of initiative in legislation. Why!'’ The only answer that is likely to be satisfactory to the public is to abandon this persistence and find a substitute for the second ballot which shall make the representative House the equal at least of the Second Chamber in representative power. If this answer is not made, the public will put its own construction on the tolerance of a system which favours the election of minority representatives to > the representative chamber by a Government which has shown that it can do better with the chamber that comparatively does not count.