TWO REFORM BILLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3099, 6 August 1913, Page 3

TWO REFORM BILLS.

SECOND BALLOT TO GO. UPPER HOUSE MEASURE. (Fnoir Odr Own Correspondents.l WELLINGTON, July 23. Tlie Government intends to brim' down an Electoral Reform Bill dealing with the constitution of the Lower House this session, so the Prime Minister informed your representative to-day. What the nature of the proposals contained in tha Bill would be Mr Massey declined to say, but he intimated that an announcement on the subject would be made in the Financial Statement. One feature of the Bill may be taken for granted since the Government L» pledged to repeal the Second Ballot Act. As to the new electoral system to b« adopted, two proposals have figured prominently in such discussions on the subject as have taken place amongst members in the lobbies. One suggested system is that of preferential voting in single electorates, which wouid practically mean taking the first and second ballots at ft single poll. Failing this, it has been suggested that proportional representation might bo established in the four chic! cities, the present system minus the second ballot being allowed to stand in the meantime in the remaining electorates. Tho connection between electoral reform of the Louver House and reform of tho Legislative Council js becoming interesting with the passage of time. Tho belief is gaining ground amongst members of both Houses that tho Legislative Council Reform Bili is likely to meet very much the same fate at tho hands of tho Upper House as it met last year —that is to say, that it may be read a second time, but blocked on tho motion to commit or in committee. Some members of the Council profess" to believe that there is no particular reason why. the Bill should be allowed to pace in its present form, apparently ignoring the fact that the Government has announced that the Bill embodies its policy. Proceeding from this view of tho matter one of the Councillors mentioned contended in conversation to-day that the sitting members of the Council had a recognised right under ordinary circumstances to be reappointed at the end of their seven years’ term. It is safe to state that this contention is a novelty which is not at all likely to be recognised by the Government. Prominent members of the Reform party to whom it was mentioned agreed in ridiculing it as an absolute distortion of the true position. The keynote of the existing situation is the fact that by January next 12 members of the present Council will have retired by effluxion of time, and two others will have retired by July 1, 1914. Thus, if tho Reform Bill should be again rejected and tho Government electa simply to “ sit light ” a considerable proportion its opponents will disappear from the field in the ordinary course of events before the final session of the present Parliament haa well begun. At tha worst, a small percentage of the new appointments which would bo required to carry the Bill in face of the opposition this year would euffic® to carry it in 1914.