ELECTORAL CHANGES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16186, 24 July 1923, Page 7

ELECTORAL CHANGES.

GOVERNMENT’S BILL FORECASTED. CITY SEATS GROUPED. MIXTURE OF VOTING SYSTEMS. {Parliamentary Reporter). WELLINGTON, this day. The character of the Prime Minister’s recent announcement about the Government’s proposed electoral reform measure has caused a good deal, of speculation in tho lobbies, as it was no doubt intended, because Mr. Massey was purposely vague, merely hinting that it would be a surprise. Members who have followed the situation closely believe they have the clue to the mystery, especially as some of the Government party make no secret that a method has been found of dealing with the increased vote of the Labor party, which, under the first past the post methods in the cities, threatens to give that section more representation than it would be entitled to on a fair proportion of the votes cast. The Government’s solution is reported to be a mixture of methods, which will certainly be a surprise, because country electors will vote on one- method and city electors will have .an entirely different system of electing their representatives. The Government is said to bo contemplating a reversion to the former method of grouping city constituencies and applying proportional representation to these elections. If the existing grouping is followed it will moan that Auckland would be a huge constituency, comprising eight old electorates, which have an aggregate voting strength of 143,000. The five Wellington city and suburban seats represent an electoral strength of 90,500. The constituencies in and around Christchurch return seven members, representing 122,770 voters, while Dunedin has five closely grouped seats, containing 86,000 voters. It is suggested that the Government plans to place these 25 seats under proportional representation, leaving the remaining 51 as single member constituencies, with an Important change that preferential voting will be adopted for the elections. This is the reported shape of the measure which the Government will introduce, but it has no intention of forcing the issue this session, preferring to have a full discussion when the views of every member will become known and amendments may be framed with the object of meeting the wisjres of the majority of the House, Laborites regard the plan as simply designed to “dish Iho Whigs,” while the Liberals are preserving an attitude of suspended judgment, wondering \whelher it may be wise to accept even an instalment of reform. Their intentions as a party will naturally not ho determined until tho actual test of the Government’s Bill is bofoye Parliament.