PRINCESS THEATRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18545, 4 May 1922, Page 4

PRINCESS THEATRE

Harem and Scarem, the outstanding funmakers at the Princess Theatre this week, aro as lively a pair as have been seen for a long time, and consequently they enjoy a popularity that will not quickly diminish. Another pair, also good in their particular lilie, are the vocalists Beresforcl and RonDie. The boy masquerader, Effie ■ Fellowes, the ventriloquist, "Victor the Great,"_Newman and Wynne, and Frank and »»hdya Alber ore among the other entertainers. The same programme will be repeated tonight. . ' PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION/ IN NEW SOUTH WALES. TO THB EDITOR. ( Sir,—l am informed that reports have appeared in various inter-State papers condemning the operation of proportional representation in New South Wales. It is said to be blamed in various ways, and that National and Labour Parties intend to combmo to. abolish it As the chief advocate of electoral Teform in this State'which is inseparable from P.R., I would foe glad to put the veal facts of the matter before, your readers, so that they may not be misled. _ There was a. wild statement in a local paper, understood to have-been inspired by Sir Thomas Henley, about abolishing it. That gentleman, however, told the electors at the declaration of the poll that ho could not understand it. What a convenient thing it is for a, 1 man to propose to abohsh what he does riot understand! Nobody ever ac- j cused him of being able to understand it. | I want to explain to your readers why F.ii. has come to stay in this State. It was ap- | proved at the last conference of the State j Labour Bary in N.S.W. It is the leading feature of the policy of the Progressive Party. It is also one of the chief conditions of the Coalition between the Nationalists and a . section of the Progressives. All parties, therefore, at the last election were agreed upon maintaining the system. _ What has happened since to change that view? Absolutely nothing. The result is just in every 'electorate. Not one of the critics can point to a single electorate where the result ie not eminently . fair. As the people voted so they are represented. One of the important effects of the new system is that the day is fast approaching when paTty eeleotions will be abolished. Candidates will bo able to come forward freely, and the electors will have a free chftce in returning men to Parliament. The efforts at making selections and at manipulating the vote by party machines have failed so badly at the recent election that they are not likely to be attempted next time. Of course those who have made a mess of things do not like the system. They have got to put forward sort of an excuse. It should not. hqwever, lb© treated seriouslv by any intelligent person. One objection, raised is the time necessary to get the results, I was a candidate in the Western Suburbs, one of the metropolitan five-member electorates. The returns from the 20 polling places were available and announced shortly before 12 p.m. on the' day of the poll. Any person with a little knowledge of affairs could see the result at once as far as the Western Suburbs was concerned. It was as plain, as possible. Of course the votes had to be checked, the absent votes had'to be received and counted, and the whole thing worked out according to the rules so that the official result might be declared. That took six days, the number of formal votes handled being nearly 50,000. Where, the voting is. close, some doubt may exist till the count is complete, but that is inseparable in any system where absent voting is permitted- If we take large country areas with a great nunrber of polling l places scattered through them, it must tak<> .a certain amount of time to get the returns in'. In years gone by the final result in some of the large. country electorates, has been quite uncertain ■ for days—in fact, a« much as a fortnight—while outlying returns were coming in in closely-contested electorates. To blame P.B. for the length of time necessary to get the results is supremely ridiculous. With the proportional system there is always a true result. With the block vot* there "is always injustice, as is quite plain to anyone.who cares to give a little attention to the subject. I want to assure all supporters of electoral reform among your readers that the proportional system in this State at the recent election was a great success. They can continue to advocate the adoption of the principle in their own State with the utmost confidence. In conclusion, I may say that in two respects we can improve the syslom in New South Wales. First, a vote should be formal as soon as the figure 1 is placed opposite one name. A large majority of votes are invariably effective on the first count. Why should any man lose his vote because in a large majority of cases his second or later preferences are never used? A vote should bo formal until informality manifests. itself. It is wise to number fully the candidates because in that way the-voter insures himself aganist all possible risks. A man who. gives a. first preference to an unpopular candidate loses his vote unless he shows a second preference for some other candidate io whom it may bo transferred when his favourite foils. ,Every elector, therefore, should number all the candidates, or t,t least number all those concerning whom he ia able to express a preference. Two years ago the Holman-Fuller National Govern-' ment compelled the electors to number all the candidates. That meant a very large number of informal votes, most of them needlessly informal. The Labour Government altered it so that.the elector recorded a formal vote when he marked as many preferences as there were candidates-to be elected. That was a distinct improvement. The present Government will be asked to go further, so as to give the elector freedom to number as many as lie likes from on* upwards. ' The Holman-Fuller National Government* when adopting the proportional system, failed to make provision for by-elections./. When the Labour Party camo in two years ago it had the responsibility of making provision for filling vacancies. It adopted a method of allowing a party leader to nominate a successor for the late member. Those who had for a generation urged the abolition of the nominee Legislative Council adopted the nominee system for putting men into the Legislative Assembly. It would be impossible to imagine a more indefensible method of filling casual vacancies. The right, course, to adopt under the proportional system is to make a recount of the. votes of the exmember, together with other ineffective votes foT the next preference. In that way the vacancy would be filled by the votes of the people themselves. It could bo done in the course of a day or two without any expense worth mentioning. The new Government will be asked to adopt this method for filling casual vacancies. I trust that I have been able to reassure all in favour of electoral reform that the proportional system is ju3t, is successful, and has come to stay in New South Wales.—l am, etc., Sydney, N.S.W. A. G. Huie. RESERVED SEATS ON TRAINS. TO THE EDITOR. ' Sir.—l was present at the railway station yesterday (Wednesday) morning, and endeavoured to aßsist a friend to find a firstclass seat. Every seat was occupied or reserved, but imagine my_ surprise to find a bird-cage l apartment seating six passengers, locked, and reserved for "Hon, W. Nosworthy from Ashburton to Lyltelton." Locked and reserved for 180 miles, for one or two men to travel 60 miles at the end of the journey. Wrvt a farce! Surely this is not necessary, and why Hon. Nosworthy cannot take his chance of a seat from Ashburton to Lyltelton boats me. Why lock the apartment, and blook a.uy ?asß6ngers using these seats for 180 miles ? «m, ftto. t Deuocbat.