ELECTIVE COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10535, 9 August 1912, Page 1

ELECTIVE COUNCIL.

PROVISIONS OF THE BILL. [From Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 8. The Legislative Council Election Bill foreshadowed in the Budget was introduced in the Council this afternoon by the Hon H. D. Bell. The fundamental' principle of the Bill is election of members of the Upper Chamber instead of appointment as at present. The measure' proposes to divide New Zealand into two constituencies, North Island and South Island, each to return twenty members elected by those qualified to a vote at the election of a member of the House. Each of these two constituencies will, however, only return ten members at the general election, the remaining ten to be elected at the succeeding general election. Thenceforward at each general election one-half of the members will vacate their seats, but will be eligible for reelection, the vacating members being those who have served longest on the Council without re-election. Candidates must be nominated by not fewer than two electors, the nomination fee being £lO, to be forfaited if the candidate does not poll one-third of the votes recorded. The poll will bo taken on the day of the general election and simultaneously therewith, but the ballot papers will be differently coloured and will be placed in different boxes. Provision is made for the appointment of supervisors instead of scrutineers, owing to the fact that there will be about 4000 polling places. In voting it is provided that the elector must vote for at least three candidates, numbering them in his order of preference 1, 2 and 3. He may vote for as many more of the candidates on the list in order as he likes, but it is not compulsory. Sitting members in the Council will retain their seats till the end of tlieir respective terms. There are to be no further nominations of Maoris to the Council. The cyst cm of proportional voting adopted under the Bill is based on Lord Courtney's scheme introduced in j the House of Commons, and is explained at length in the schedule of the Bill. The measure makes it quite clear that proposed laws appropriatinc; revenue or money or imposing taxation shall not originate in the Council. A proposed law, the Bill says, shall not be taken to appropriate _ rovenue or money or to impose taxation by reason only of its containing provisions ror the imposition or appropriation of fires or other pecuniary penalties or for the demand or appropriation or payment or appropriation of fees for licenses or fees proposed for services _ under the proposed law. The Council may not amend proposed laws imposing taxation or proposed laws appropriating rovenue or money for the ordinary annual services of the Government. The Council may not amend any proposed law so as to increase any proposed charge or burden on the people. The Council may at any stage return to the Koasj any proposed law which the Coun<jl may not amend, requesting proposed amendments, and the House may, if Itthinks fit, make such amendments Otherwise the Council will have equal powers with the House in respect of all proposed laws.