COMPULSORY VOTING

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160731, 18 August 1920, Page 7

COMPULSORY VOTING

\ “LAUGHED OUT OP COURT.” (Auckland Star Correspondent.) LONDON, June 24. “We don’t want to vote, and by jingo we’re not going to be compelled to do so,” is the Englishman's attitude as reflected by the House of Commons yesterday, when Major Archie Shoe, the member for Finsbury, sought leave to introduce a Bill “to make better provision for the exercise of the Parliamentary franchise.” The Major is deeply concerned at the low percentage' of the electorate which voted at the last •general election, and put it to the House and the acts of their representatives in Parliament. The House seemed to be in cordial agreement with the Major’s general principle, but when the gallant soldier came to outline his proposals for “bucking up” the electoral slacker and thus securing a fuller expression of national feeling, members first gasped; and then laughed. “The Bill,” he blandly announced, “imposes a fine of £1 for not exercising the vote, and for a second or subsequent offence £2 or a month’s imprisonment.” The notion of such draconic treatment that something ought to bs done to try fo obtain from their people what their opinion was upon legislative proposals of the man or woman who failed to exercise their vote momentarily stunned the House, but presently there were chuckles of amusement, developing gradually into loud laughter, which did not entirely subside when the Major explained that his proposal carried exemptions, namely, illness, absence on military, naval, or civil duty, a distance of more i-an ten miles from the polling both, or any other reasonable cause which in the opinion of the returning officer was allowable. When Major Archer Shoe added that the Bill was intended as a “stimulus” to people to use the vote, members laughed again, as they pictured errant elector’s ' being marched away to durance vile. Leave to bring in the Bill being opposed, the Speaker put the question. There was a loud shout of “No,” and the House went to a division, in which the member for Finsbury was beaten by two to one—--158 to 74, and the scheme for making a perfect elector by Act of Parliament was literally “laughed out” of the House. So, since persuasion seems quite ineffective, and the Commons will not hearken to suggestion of compulsion, about half the English electors will probably continue to exercise their right to stay away from the polling booth, and to grumble furiously because 1 their abstentions produce legislative results which disagree with their pocket and their convenience. In other words, they will continue to permit new shackles to

be placed upon them by the minority who do exercise their votes> rather than take the trouble to record their own. But the House of Commons’ attitude towards Major Archer Shee’s Bill suggests that if his proposal was made “a plank” in any general election platform the “free and enlightened” electors might he expected to roll up “en masse” to record their protest against what would be really only an attempt to compel them to look after their own interests. .At the. last general election considerably less than GO per cent, of the voters “in the United Kingdom took the trouble to go to the polls, and the percentage at the last municipal election was much poorer still. Yesterday the Minister of Education had an interview with the executive of the New Zealand Educational Institute regarding- increases in salary to be given to teachers. The Minister stated that Cabinet had adopted proposals made by him which would result in a quarter of a million sterling per annum being added to the emoluments of primary school teachers. He desired to have the views of the Institute, as representing the teaching profession, as to the best and fairest method of distributing this money. The Institute’s representatives agreed with the Minister that a flat rate scheme would not be acceptable to the general body of teachers. The system adopted last year of recognising classification of teachers, rather than the average attendance at school, had the approval of the executive. Without bind ing themselves to details, they expressed the opinion that the Minister’s proposals in this direction would meet with the approval of the profession.