AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1888.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1428, 11 February 1888, Page 2

AND GOLDFIELD S REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1888.

"measures, noi mew."

THE ATHENAEUM ELECTION,

A question of some importance to subscribers arose at the meeting of the Athenssum Committee on Wednesday evening. The President of the institution (Mr J. C. Brown) sought to alter the form of election at the anneal meeting by proposing a scheme which was in force some twenty years ago, when the Athenaeum was in its infancy. He proposed that a suggestion be included in the Committee's annual report proposing that every subscriber have an opportunity of exercising his vote, and that the means of doing this be by circular bearing the names of the candidates, the subscribers to strike out the names of those they do not wish to vote for. The Committee were so equally divided in their estimate of the merits of Air Brown's proposal that five voted for it and five against it ; whereupon the President took the most unusual course of giving his casting vote with the " ayes," in addition to his deliberative vote, and, moreover, in favour of his own motion. To this course some of those opposed to the motion strongly objected, protesting that Mr Brown had gone in the face of all precedent ; and that by right the motion was lost. We think that, looking back on his arbitrary action, Me Brown will agree that he acted wrongly ; and, more* over, we think it is much to be regretted that a gentleman of such long parliamentary experience and of Mr Brown's representative position should have set such an unparliamentary example. In the first place, we think the President adopted a most unusual course in proposing such a motion from the chair ; and to carry it as he did made his action most conspicuous and unreasonable. " Stephen's ComtnenI taries," &n authority on the subject, says : — " It is to be observed that in the House of Commons the Speaker never votes, except when the votes of the House are otherwise equal ; and in such cases he has a vote which determines the majority. The Speaker of the House of Lords, on the other hand, has his vote counted with the rest of the House, and in case of an equality of voices, the rule is that the negative opinion prevails." In a parallel case given by May in his " Parliamentary Practice," the same rule is laid down. As a matter of fact, it is the universal practice. But leaving aside the good taste of the proceeding, we do not think that the subscribers will blindly give their consent to a system of voting which has so little to recommend it and so much against it. The only argument that Mr Brown was able to advance in its favour was that there were about seventy subscribers residing outside the town of Lawrence who could not conveniently attend the annual meeting, and that, to give them a voice in the election of the Committee, circulars should be sent round. Mr Brown, however, is slightly wrong in his figures. As a matter of fact, there are only five subscribers who live outside a mile radius ; and from these no word of complaint has ever been heard. To revolutionise the system of election, therefore, for the convenience of five subscribers out of a total of 140 is, to say the least, ridiculous, especially as those whom it is sought to benefit do not ask for a change. The objections to the circular system are manifest. It would open the door to abuses of* an undesirable nature, and the election would be unnecessarily prolonged ; and, indeed, there are other drawbacks which it is scarcely necessary to recount. We have no doubt that the subscribers as a body will have sufficient good sense to allow matters to remain as they are.