THE WAIPUKURAU PRESS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1935. IF SO—WHO IS TO BLAME?

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 273, 23 November 1935, Page 4

THE WAIPUKURAU PRESS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1935. IF SO—WHO IS TO BLAME?

“The onus of proving that a Democrat administration would be different in kind from any other lies with the Democrats. If they cannot submit substantial proof—and they have had ample opportunity—there is no reason for their existence. The belief is growing fact that the only effect of their campaign will be so to confuse the issue that many members of the new House will be minority representatives, and the House as a whole will not be a reflex of the political feelings of the country.”—“Star,” Auckland. The merits or demerits of the Democrat Party apart, the fact is evidently- being conveniently overlooked that the Government declined to introduce a measure calculated to give the people generally the opportunity of electing Members on a democratic basis, viz., providing for majority rule in each electoral district, if not a full measure of due representation through the medium of preferential voting and proportional representation, in respect of groups of electorates. Equally culpable is the Labour Party, which has by its reversal of the old established radical policy of this electoral reform, given the National Party a special advantage over all others, but not perhaps injured the Labour cause quite as much as that of the Independents, the Democrats and Country Party followers —the latter three elements being specially handicapped by reason of their voting strength being- less than that of the two major parties, and yet almost as widely diffused throughout the electorates, with a much greater multiplicity of candidates in a larger number of instances than in the case of the Government or Labour parties. The aggregate of voting power is not likely to be truly reflected in the new Parliament.