WIDER SCOPE

Southland Times, Issue 22419, 5 September 1934, Page 8

WIDER SCOPE

PRIVATE MEMBERS

SUGGESTION BY MR JULL

ELECTION SYSTEMS

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter). Wellington, September 4. Proportional representation for the four main cities and preferential voting for the country areas was advocated by Mr A. E. Jull in the course of his speech in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives to-day. He also urged that private members of Parliament should be given more,,scope in the administrative work. Mr Jull said that he agreed with the extension of the life of Parliament, and now that that point was settled the Government might consider electoral reform. Every system of election had its drawbacks, but he thought that the present system had more than any other. He was distinctly inclined towards preferential voting, because that system allowed more than one candidate from any part a chance to go to the polls without upsetting the election for his party. At the same time he also favoured proportional representation which had up till recently been advocated by the Labour Party, but dropped at the last annual conference. ' That system might be adopted for the four main cities, with preferential voting for the other places. A Labour member: That’s an Irish stew.

Mr Jull said that when the Labour Party turned proportional representation down it had also been turned down by the Christchurch City Council, which had adopted the system for many years. Proportional representation was not suitable for country districts, as it would make the electorates too large, especially in the South Island, but in the cities it would give the other parties a chance to secure representation.

Mr J. A. Lee: Did. you graduate in a thimble-rigging school. Mr Speaker: Order! That interjection is most improper. Mr Jull said that the procedure of Parliament might be amended so as to give the eighty members a greater share in the work of administration, and at the same time cut down the length of sessions. He suggested that each minister should have attached to him a committee of the House, which would meet monthly and which would assist him in the administrative work of the country. A great deal of time was take up with criticisms of the administrative work and only a Minister could answer that criticism. If the Minister had a committee to assist him, a great deal of time would be saved, and the session would last weeks, in stead of months. A shortening of the work of Parliament would also induce more people to consider standing for Parliament and the country would have a greater number of candidates to choose from. There were thousands of men in the. Dominion just as capable as those in the House at the present time, but they could not afford to give five months of their time to attending a session of Parliament.