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SINCE the outbreak of the War in August last the
propagandist activities of the Proportional
Representation Society have necessarily been curtailed, the attention of
the nation and of its public men being absorbed in the great struggle now
taking place. In the circumstances the Executive Committee took steps to
reduce the expenditure of the Society; two of the three rooms used as offices
were given up, employment for two of the office staff was found elsewhere,
and the Secretary, Mr. John H. Humphreys, became engaged temporarily in the
work, directed by the Local Government Board, of receiving and distributing
the refugees from Belgium arriving at Folkestone.
The inquiries upon methods of election that continued to reach the offices of
the Society, not only from the United Kingdom but also from our Dominions
overseas and from the United States, were dealt with
by the Assistant Secretary, Mr. Alfred J. Gray; Mr. Gray also carried through
the programme of autumn lectures arranged before
the declaration of the war.
Meanwhile, a critical situation had arisen
in Tasmania, where a bill to substitute a list system of proportional
representation for the single transferable vote has been introduced by the
Government, and is now (June, 1915) the subject of inquiry by a Parliamentary
Select Committee.
Also important developments have occurred in New Zealand where (1) Parliament
has passed an Act applying proportional representation to the election of the
Legislative Council; (2) a similar bill for the House of Representatives was
lost by one vote only, and (3) an Act has been passed making the use of
proportional representation optional in local elections. In the case of the
elections for the Legislative Council the single transferable vote will be
applied under conditions of a difficulty unprecedented in the history of this
method.
In April, the Committee of the Society came to the conclusion that it would
be of the greatest importance in the interests of the movement that the
Secretary should pay a visit to Australia and New Zealand. The Committee in
so deciding were influenced by the recollection of
the year 1909, when Mr. Humphreys went to South Africa at the request of the
Government of the Transvaal and materially assisted in preparing for the
application of proportional representation in the election of the South
African Senate, and of the Municipal Councils of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
They considered that in the present conditions Mr.
Humphreys should be able on a similar visit to Australasia to place evidence
of the highest value before the Tasmanian Committee and both to
give and to receive information in New Zealand on the arrangements necessary
to ensure the success of the first elections under proportional
representation. His presence, moreover, would be an encouragement to our
friends in Australia to whose unremitting efforts are due the promising
movements in practically all the States of the Commonwealth.
It is further intended that Mr. Humphreys shall return by way of the United
States and thus bring the Society into more direct touch with those who are
responsible for reviving our cause in that country, especially in connection
with the present wide-spread activity in the revision of State constitutions
and municipal charters. The adoption in a few cities of a proportional method
of electing their executive councils might be the starting point of a great
movement in the United States. And, finally, from our point of view at home,
successful developments in other parts of the English-speaking world will be
of the greatest practical importance when the Irish question, and other
problems of home politics again come up for discussion. The Executive
Committee, fully convinced of the desirability of this undertaking and of its
opportuneness, appealed to their subscribers for
the necessary financial assistance. The response justified the hopes of the
Committee and as a result Mr. Humphreys is already on his way to
Australia.
The Committee take this opportunity of thanking
members of the Society for their continued support at a difficult time.
Letters to Mr. Humphreys (from the United Kingdom) may be addressed as
follows:-
Up to the end of June: c/o Mrs. Young, Drumcalpin,
Victoria Avenue, Rose Park, Adelaide.
Up to 15th July: c/o Chief Electoral Officer, Wellington, New
Zealand.
Up to end of October: c/o Mr. C. G. Hoag,
Haverford, Pa.
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