The Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1919. THE FEDERAL ELECTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19812, 2 December 1919, Page 6

The Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1919. THE FEDERAL ELECTION.

The elections to be held on Saturdny week to decide who are to be the members of the next Federal Parliament should be of more than passing interest to the electors of the Dominion, in view of the fact that for the first time at a, Commonwealth election the preferential system of voting for the Senate and for tlio House oi Representatives will be usod. The preferential method of voting is not new to Australia, as it has long been used in. Tasmania for the State parliamentary elections. Under the system of preferential voting it will be necessary for every elector who votes on December 13 to vote 1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, and thus indicate the order of his or her preference for at least seven of the candidates whoso names appear on the ballot paper for the Senate. If there are less than seven candidates for the Senate, then tne elector's order of preference must bo indicated by consecutive figures for all whose names appear on the ballot paper. If there are more than two candidates for the scat of any House of Representatives division each elector in that division must similarly vote for at least two, preferably for all, of them in the order of his or her preference. The intention underlying the adoption of the preferential method of voting, which is short of being truly democratic only so far as it does not provide for proportional representation, is that there may b e as many candidates tor Parliament as there are electors who desire to try and win seats, without endangering the loss of any seat by any party through more candidates of the same party denomination than there are seats avaLable for going to tho poll and ( , spliting the party vote. One effect of the change from the old block to the preferential system of voting has been to incroase the number of parties seeking to gain the reins of power. In the present election the candidates are grouped as Ministerialists, Official Labour, Farmers' and Country Party, and Independents. For tho House of Representatives the parties havo made the following nominations: Ministerialists ... 72 Official Laboui ... 69 Farmers' Party i , !17 Independents , . , 23 Under the electoral system hitherto used in the Commonwealth the opponents of tho Caucus or Official Labour Party would be improving its chances of victory by dividing into' three distinct groups, but under a system of preferential voting they cm do bo without materially prejudicing their prospects. The main isues of the election are, unfortunately, clouded by all sorts of detail, and in many instances extraneous questions. The principal feature as far as the man in the street is concerned is probably the fight betwen Mr Hughes and Mr Ryan. Very little is heard of Mr Tudor in .these days—he seems to have been subjected to a sort of party eclipse by the transtt of Mr Ryan, the ex-Premier of Queensland. A particularly bitter campaign is being waged between tho Commonwealth Prime Minister and Mr Ryan, the latter indicting the wasteful administration of the National Government, and Mr Hughes retorting that in Queensland under Mr Ryan's administration tho cost of living increased to a greater extent than in any other I State, surpluses were turned into de- ] ficits, unemployment was greatly extended, and strikes became much more frequent. Mr Ryan's efforts have indeed boon anything - but impressive as I to his Federal political and ecomonic efficiency. Mr Hughes's political mistakes be many, but none of them seem to be quite comparable with tho " bloomers " already laid by Mr Ryan up against his own political door. Mr Ryan professes to be confident of success, but hope seems to spring eternal 1 in the breast of every political campaigner. It is difficult to believe that Australia will refuse Mr Hughes a renewal of offico.