UNKNOWN

Western Star, Issue 1850, 10 January 1894, Page 2

UNKNOWN

■n y that the present | is anything but satisIheme therefore which I place it on a better live every crmsiderak of eacii electorate, pit system minorities in thy

House, and many electors must, during the continuance of the system now in vogue, suffer the disappointment resulting from having voted for an unsuccessful candidate. To remedy this state of things, and, if possible, allow all men to have justice done to them, has been the object of Mr. Tregear, of the Labour Bureau, in a contribution to the last number of the Public Service Journal of New Zealand. The article is headed q " Tregear's System ' of Voting,'' and having perused it carefully, we think the scheme is worthy of being placed before our readers, who, we i'eel sure, would welcome any reform likely do deal out justice to all Mr. Tregear, like many others, is thoroughly dissatisfied with the present system. As he says : "If wc grant that it is do3irable that the majority should rule, wo tabs every care at present to defeat our own object. Lot me present the case in aa few words as possible. Hero is an example. Rorokore District contains 9,000 voters. This is the result of the poll : Jones (Conservative) ... 4,212 Brown (Liberal) ... ... 2,488 Smi h (Liberal) 2,3J0 9,000 The majority, the 4,788 Liberal elector , are practically disfranchised, for, so far from having a representative as a mouthpiece of their opinions, their motnber goes up to the House pledged to defeat their views. It may, however, be said that, once elected, the question of political opinion matters little; the member will do his best for all his constituents. Lob us see if he his tho power. Mr. Jones, the elojtad on", finds on his arrival that as a Conservative: be form* one of the Opposition. Ho is able to talk, und to impede legislation, but otherwise he is quite helpless. The Government party can by means of its majority pass measures, but the minority, the Opposition, are practically and legislatively powerless. The District of Rorokore is simply disfranchise!; its 4,212 Conservatives are just as powe le-s in the House as its 4,788 Liberals became at th* declaration of the poll, and the only Klect )i"al Districts in possession of national functions are those whoso representatives vote with ihe Government of the day. Thu->, only a smill minority of New Zealand's voters can be said to be represented at all, and certainly tho numerical majority does not rule, if we add to th 'SO defeated at elections tho.se who are extinguished in the House. In this he of course alludes to the ordinary elections and average results. The election just concluded, with its destruction of the Opposition, he considers is quite abnormal and does not affect the principle. To remedy the state of things described by Mr. Tregear, has been aimed at by the Hare system, but its method of counting the votes is so complex as really to frighten peop'e from attempting to bring it into force. Mr. Tregear's scheme, however, is simplicity ftself, and while it shuns the complexities of Hare's, it utilises part of the principle, and to that extent it cannot be claimed for it that it is original. Following is Tregear's scheme :

"The number of members should remain as at present, viz., 74; bub these should be classified into Local (or majority) members and National (or minority) members. Of local members there should be 54, of national members 20. By local members is meant those elected to represent constituencies: by national members those elected by the whole voting power of both islands. The election of local members should proceed precisely as at present, but each electorate"must be slightly increased in size, so tbat as a whole they may swallow up sufßc : ent present electorates (20) to reduce tho number of their representatives to 54 -National members should be persons sufficiently distinguished to be known throughout the whole country, and any person not so distinguished would find candidature,- a mistake. Tho form of voting paper should bo printed somewhat as under: — • ■ ■ LOCAL CANDIDATES. NATIONAL CANDIDATES. B. Jones W, Green Ti Brown Sir J. Thomson ¥. Robinson Hon. W. Grey .- G. Smith B. White &o„ &o. N. Blaelc &c, &c. Each voter, on receiving his ballot-paper, should mark with red pencil on the left-hand si le of the paper the name of the person for whom he wishes to voto (a reversal of the present ' sconng-out') ; and then mark one of the names on the right-hand side of the paper, afterwards depositing his paper in the ballot-box as usual. On examining the papers, the returning officer should asoertain th* number of voles for tho local candidates, and declare the result of the poll. This noil is final as regards the local or majority members. Tho voting paper should then be gone through a socond t'me (not necessarily on evening of electiou day; the next day would do), and divided in the following manner :—Each paper on which the name of a successful local candidate has been marked by an elector should bo destroyed, because that elector is now represented by a majority member. But those paoers which are votemarked with names of unsuccessful candidates only, should be re-considered, and the vote on the right-band side, for national candidate, counted in its plaoe. Thus the eloclor who had lost his representation by voting for tho losing candidate would be able to repair nis misfortune by having a share in some national candidate, with whose views he is in sympathy. Tho House would gain considerably by tho introduction of distinguished m°n as national member?, and there would bo fewer seats for ' parochial politicians' to fill. As a detail, to prevent too many eandi dates stand : ng for the national membership (which would make voting pnpers confusingly full) only those nominations should ba received which aro accompanied by requisitions fi'.ned by 10 electors in each provincial district in tho colony. This scheme, although of course not perfect, yet allows the representation of minorities, while the trouble to returning officers would be very little, in fact only a second counting."