THE SECOND BALLOT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5501, 28 February 1896, Page 4

THE SECOND BALLOT.

TO THE EDITOR. "Sir,— lt is with pleasure I notice that this matter at last is to receive the attention it deserves. After last election I exposed through your correspondence column the faults of the present system of election, and kindly permit me now to show the benefit of second balloting, and how it can be done without a penny more expense or trouble • than the present system. The second balloting would prevent a district being represented by any person not having the confidence of a majority of the whole electors, as is the case to a large 'extent at present. Of forty seats at last general election, -where more than two candidates ivent to the poll, ; twenty-six seats .are represented by members who failed to poll one-half the votes recorded, and only fourteen seats are ' represented by. a majority of the votes 1 polled. Another benefit of the second ; ballot Tvould be that a district could . change its anember without changing its | politics, and could have the opportunity of selecting from a larger number of candidates a suitable representative, without being afraid of splitting votes as at present, or of having a candidate forced on them by any political league or association without their approval. Also candidates would be more free to express their real opinions without the fear of offending any part of the electors, and would be more likely to be elected for their actual opinions than for false promises or pledges, and the sectional or class politics now so prominent would be modified to a large extent. Members would be more independent and less under the control of any Government of the day. , In your leading ; article in Saturday's paper, you suggest the second ballot being taken three days after i^ne first poll.' In several districts the first voting papers could not be in in that time, and in the case of four, five or six candidates, being in the field how many were to retire. Each of the candidates would have a chance of possible election except the lowest on' the poll. Why should any of them be debarred from such a chance ? If, only one second poll was taken then polling would have to continue until thekst two were disposed of, if fair to aU. The plan I suggested would do away with all this by determining the whole thing at .onepoll. The electors would vote for the candidates in the order they preferred them by writing in figures after the candidates' names on the voting papers 1, 2, 3, &c, instead of scoring out names as is done now ; .and in counting the votes the candidates against whose names 1 appears got the vote, and for further counts the lowest on the poll was taken first and the votes given to the next choice and so on, until only two re.mained, when the highest was bound to win by a majority. For triple electorates three voting papers should be given to voters, when, the result would be the same as for the single electorates. — I am, &ci, *A REFORMER. FOOTBALL NOTES. [BY QUIDNUNC IN " CANTERBURT TIMES.',] Grlendining, who for some seasons played half-back for the Christchurch Club, and last year represented the province, has left Christchurch for Auckland. The English Rugby Union has decided to send another team to South Africa during the coming winter. The annual match between representatives of England and Wales was played on Jan. 4 at Blackheath, in the presence of about 20,000 spectators. The English forwards completely outplayed their opponents, and Wales was compelled to play a defensive game nearly all the time. In the first spell England scored a goal and four tries, which was increased, to two goals and five tries when no-side was called. England had seven old internationals in its team, and Wales no less than thirteen. Of the thirteen matches played England has won ten to Wales's two, the remaining one being drawn. The committee of the English Rugby Union has passed the following decisions on points of law : — A player with the ball in his possession touches the corner flag or a flag on the touch-line. Ruling : — He is respectively in "touch in goal" or in touch. A "fair catch" having been claimed from a "knock-on" or -"throw forward" in every case takes precedence, even though the referee had whistled or not for the knock-on or throw forward. That the ruling on page 34, Law 17, "Kick, pass, knock or carry," shall in future read, the law is intended to deal with intentional, not unintentional, cases. A meeting of the International Board was held at Greenwich on Jan. 4. It was decided that the ball having once come out of the scrummage may not be put back by the hand, except as it was originally put in. If put in otherwise, a penalty kick, under Law 11, section F, must be given. In Law 11, section H, the Board decided that the word " standing" must be read as meaning wilfully standing and remaining. Therefore, in future, half-backs must not be penalised for unintentionally overrunning the ball. A sub-committee was appointed to draw up a circular with reference to over-whistling, and to re-draft the laws of the game, with particular reference to the present system of refereeing without appeals, and the case law decided by various unions and adopted by the Board.