Lists (None yet)

Login to create lists

Comments (None yet)

Add New Comment

2 corrections, most recently by anonymous - Show corrections

NO PLUMPING.

MOTION BY DR. BOTTRILL.

REJECTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

The methods of voting at the Hobart municipal elections come up for discus- sion at a meeting of the City Council last evening, when Alderman Bottrill, pursuant to notice, moved :

That, in the opinion of this Council,

the practice of plumping at municipal

elections is undesirable.

In speaking lo the motion, Aldeirman Bottrill said at the elections for the

City Council, if there were 4,000 voters,

and four vacancies to be filled, there would be 16,000 votes exercised. The system of voting was in marked con- trast with the Hare-Clark system.

Alderman Arnott: Oh! that's an abor-   tion. (Laughter.)

Alderman Bottrill said it was not everybody who understood the Hare- Clark system, (Hear! Hear!) Under that system there would be 4,000 voles exercised, instead of 16,000, so that the Hare-Clark system was really a system of compulsory plumping. In the first place, an elector plumped for his first choice, and on the first being struck out he then plumped for his second choice, and then in turn plumped for the third and fourth choices. It was because of that wretched system of having only 4,000 votes instead of 16,000 that at the last Legislative Council election "one poor man lost his deposit." (Laughter.) Sup- pose there were four vacancies and four of the aldermen were standing, and each one of them had 1,000 voters he could rely upon! If the thing were left to   the intentional working oi the Act, each one of his four would get 1,000 votes of his own, and would also get 3,000 votes from the three others, so that, in the end, each of them would have about 4,000 votes. But, if one of them wanted to be elected by plumping, he would have to pass the word round secretly to his friends, asking them to vote for him and for no other. Such tactics, he con- sidered, were utterly unfair and con- temptible, and they would also have the effect of disfranchising that particular candidate's friends of three-fourths of their voting power.

Alderman Meagher said he did not want Alderman Bottrill to drop his sinker on that - (laughter) - so he would second the motion, for the sake of hav- ing it discussed. He thought Alderman Bottrill had made out a good case for a revision of the system of municipal vot- ing. It would be a good thing to have the methods of marking ballot papers in   the Parliamentary and municipal elec- tions made uniform. At present, muni- cipal ballot papers were marked by the     placing of a cross against the names of the candidate voted for, while on the Parliamentary ballot papers the candi

dates were marked 1, 2 and 3, in the order of preference. This difference of melihod was the cause of a lot of in formal voting. He thought the electors should be allowed to indicate their pre- ference at municipal elections in the same way as at the Parliamentary.

Alderman Williams expressed the opin   ion that, even if the motion were car- ried, it would mean nothing at all.  

Alderman Netllefold said he thought if the motion were carried it would be an instruction to the Council to alter the by-law relating to the elections, so as to prohibit plumping. He agreed

with Alderman Bottrill that the plump- ing system was decidedly wrong, and, indeed, degrading.

Alderman Arnott said he objected-to the proposal to prohibit plumping, be-   cause he thought it would not be right to deprive the ratepayers of a right they had had for years. At the same time,   it would be a good thing to have the names of the candidates marked I, 2 and 3, in the order of preference.

The motion was negatived on the

voices.

Zoom

plus
thumb
minus
left
thumb
right
up
thumb
down