The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1908.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13727, 17 October 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1908.

UILUI-:iITU-x"KBI , KkSf-:N'TATH)N. The latcM i-ft-tie of the London " .Speelator." wheh reached us by yivinda.V* mail, contains an 'admirable analysis of ,1,0 fallacies and' th-.- essentially, undemocratic character of the ' SVcoml Nallot ft.iecd upon New Zealand by Sir .Joseph Ward ami hi.- gang of " Libcia'-." Our iMi«*.!inpiiraiy"s artiele i- b.isxd upon .<• pamphlet it-sued by the Ploporliolial Reprcsenlaiinn Society. an organisation wheh contains I'moiiisu-. Liberal*, and Lanonrue.'—U'piesemalivtji. that i*. of nil ih-.* three parties into which Knglish. S.oltish and Welrdi opinion i.» divided. It is evident, therefore, that if Mr Asiiuith iv* re to conl-.-mplnte the same Wtrayal of (he peopled intom-l- ~« ha- b en pel p'etrated by Sr Jct-eph Ward, he would have i.i encounter the oppo-iiion of his own party ai well as «hul of other ->etion-, of the Hou.<e of Common-. That ;i change in the imthod of leprc.citimg the public in Parliament is r.ced.d, will hi' concealed by anyone "ho -Indies the composition of pictty well any lepre-xnta-live 'us.-, mbly us like lo name. Parliaments elected by i-ingle-mcmbcr const ui en,in,. as. in New Zealand, fieijnently. if not invariably, fail to reptodiicc in something like their ituv proportions ih'' opinion.-' of iJic eh-rioi*. Thi.-. i-i •"!• milled in our own country by Mich an isiHimipioin-iiic Mipporu-r of the Minisiiy ~- the "Lyltcllon Times'' Il has r»»-fe-cd. not once but in.iny times over, ih;.. Mr Ma—cyr. following in ill. 11-.n----sh.il is al.otil to b.- .liv-olvd. i-. limn •(•■•• ..lly much iiifc'ifor to wh.it .the suppoM lie received al the poll- time years -C» em.tied him t«. The >w-m under which • li.it Hoi.'C was .'l,'i:Ud merely reproduced ihe ..pinion of rue map-iity of the .lector* to ..a extent which d : d not correspond ..: ..IPto the tiiin-l i'f the country a* t whole'.' Tiic sy-:.m gave \<- '-he mind, not of •.nh constituency. I>»* »l the ■iroiigu-t party in each constituency, ami • le. li.m ..(:.-/.!• ciion ~ir..|.1.d plenty of pii'of ,:h.i: the tigai" > "f 'lie poll- mot lit .il tlii sel.stit.ii ;•• ih- i'-nil ••!' lb- coll sr-t. Ilti! th:.! vox i- no! '" be got .i.l ...' by the Se.on.l Hallo!. IUUi . ■ li.- tti.,l of ih;- llfiiiiati n.*i:um. «dl ■■ol» iit-l.iy tiic .oiv.-ii' <>'. '• line -t-i-ui ■i! sr-1»j,.,, Hi,.;..,it. -mli ■■' i- <i ni.ni'j-if l.v :hi- I'lopoi'i-.t;.'! |t«( i"-fi!t..' mi So,-;, iy iu liul..iii .11.! by Mi M'-' v •• ].-.-i:ty :n \..< y.r.il.ui.i The S.-i-t.i • p.ili»phl-:. on .>M..», -ii ■ S,, L , ; .«oi'- ).. -<l ■'• ■ o |.|l! ? . !•..!(..! . •!' till' lit .S'OIKI F1.,1!..: ice- l-eli.4 th" hope- Uu'- h-'-d t-tni !„i»,--l l-,. '•--., >■ <v«.-« : " h »•>'»< e. ri.nv ii enjoyed ■> I'-ngihy pop»l-«!i:y

while- public- opinion' \vas ..sharply. :dcfiaei into two camps—Conservatives and lift-" publicans.; that tliere-ar? miire gradations of opinion, the Second BalhV. has lost the greater part of its popularity,' while in 'Germany, where ite practical working is mwt viable, and hour wh«\r it; has bien transplanted *o an congenial fioil in New Zealand, jts results are a positive by-word.'- At the l«>t -general election in .Germany,' 1 the Social 'Democrats carried 45 sea's*as compared with 105 secured by the Centre Party, although the 'votes given: fur this former numbered 5.251,000 against 2,274,097 L-ecured by the Centre Parly. " Tlrs Second Ballot," says the. pamplet, "-hai> worked directly aga ; nst<he Social Democrats as'the party most disliked. They •should have had one-third of the seats'; they have one-nintlu" For Social Democrats read Labour Party, and we have the. exact petition which. Sir Joseph Ward aimed . at' when, he pushed his Second Ballot '.Hill through the House. The Labour Party know this well enough, and ii. 'is not surprising that, thry are shuw'iig a preference for the candidates of their own choosing rather than for lie. wealthy merchants who are making thetr appearance as the accredited Government' candidates in so many districts. Under a i-ystem of proportional lcpicsentutum ■such as Mr Massey favottrs, the Labo.nParty and every otlicr organised groan would get. exactly the number of icpivin Parliament that -it» numbtpi.sin the country entitled 'it. to. » And yet ■ionic people call Mr Mass;y a Conservative, and Sir Joseph Ward a Liberal! !".