PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.
[TO TER EDITOR OF THE " SPRCTATOR.".]
SIR,—With regard to the interesting experiment illustrating the method of proportional representation initiated by Lord Avebury and his friends, it seems to me to be open to question whether it will not be found to have left on one side, inevitably perhaps, the greatest difficulty with which the system would have to cope in real life. I remember having bad a conversation on the subject a good many years ago— about 1874, I think—with the late Mr. Waterhouse, a man who had the unique experience of having filled the office of Premier successively in two Colonies, South Australia and New Zealand. He told me that it had been tried in Adelaide, in elections for the Upper House, as far as I remember, but cannot on this point speak definitely. As regards the first two or three names on the list, which would ordinarily be those of well-known men, the system acted well enough. After that, however, comparatively speaking, unknown names would usually be reached, and, as regarded them, success in winning a seat became mainly a matter of organisation and expenditure. The selection, of course, as in the present experiment, of five out of twelve conspicuous men by a more than usually intelligent constituency of newspaper readers interested in the subject leaves out of account necessarily this source of difficulty and failare.—I am, Sir, Sc.c., Limpsfield, Surrey. WILLIAM WARRAND CARLILE.
[We cannot admit that the system of proportional repre- sentation is open to our correspondent's objection. But even granted that it is, it certainly is less open thereto than the existing system.—En. Spectator.]
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