The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1925. THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19449, 7 November 1925, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1925. THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

With all the enthusiasm of those opponents of the Government who maintain that the first-past-the-post system of election operates unjustly, the Auckland “Star” has worked out the percentages of the total votes cast for each party at the general election. The “Star’s” calculation of the voting strength of the parties does not quite accord with the latest figures, but the percentages are near enough for all practical purposes. Reform, it says, cast 46.99 per cent, of the total vote, Labour 27.64 percent.. Nationalism and Liberalism 23.26 per cent., Independence 1.78 per cent., and the Country Party .33 per cent. On this basis, says the “Star,” Reform should have 38 seats in the House, Labour 22. Nationalism .18, and Independence 2. This is the kind of allocation that the advocates of proportional representation always hold up as the political ideal. If the electors could all be labelled and drafted into party compartments, so that they would be sure to vote the party ticket, proportional representation would produce mathematically accurate results at an election. In that ease, however, the expense oi an election would scarcely be worth while. Something in the nature of a. postal census, or even classification at the time of electors’ enrolment, would disclose the strength of each party, the parties could distribute the seats among themselves, and then it would only remain for each party to appoint its representatives. We should have a machine-made political system, and if it quite failed to arouse our enthusiasm we should still have the pleasure of knowing that everything was mathematically accurate.

The truth is, however, that neither in the electorates nor in Parliament do we desire to turn politics into a scientific industry. We want to preserve the human interest, which would tend to disappear under the conditions established by proportional representation. Moreover, most of us want to avoid just the kind of thing in Parliament that, would be brought about if seats were allotted in accordance with the percentages mentioned by the “Star.”

If Reform bad 38 seats in the new Parliament what would happen? It would simply be a case of history repeating itself. The Government’s tenure would be insecure, and if its opponents combined forces and took charge their position would be no better; rather, it would be worse, for the diverse elements thus grouped together would be always in trouble among themselves. The only result of proportional representation in such a case would be to make Parliament unworkable and prevent the business of the country being done. Proportional representation may be a theoretical blessing, but more often than not it is a practical curse.

Even the Labour Government of New South Wales has just

I decided to revert from the supposedly scientific method of cleci tion to the first-past-the-post system. Perhaps the result of the New Zealand polls fortified its decision. The election here has , shown that the country prefers Reform to other parties and dei sires a stable Government. Proportional representation would } have defeated the country’s desire, but the less scientific system has given the practical result.