BY E. L. PIESSE, B.SC, LL.B. 43 



1913. 



stituency for each House, 29tli March, 1901 (see Biblio- 

 graphy Nos. 16, 17, and Mercury, 30th March, 1st April, 

 5th April, 1901). 



The quota used in the Act of 1896 was the quota orig- 

 inally used by Hare, although the quota now usually 

 admitted to be the correct quota — the Droop quota — had 

 been proposed as early as 1872, and had been used in Xew 

 Zealand in the Representation Bill of 1889 and by Sir 

 John Lubbock in 1890. 



The Hare system came under discussion again in 1899, 

 when the Electoral Bill of that year (Bibliography 

 No. 7) was before the House of Assembly. Mr. Clark 

 meanwhile had become a justice of the Supreme Court of 

 Tasmania, and the Bill was brought in by Mr, D, C. 

 Urquhart. It was proposed to apply the Hare system to 

 the whole of Tasmania, which was to be divided into seven 

 districts returning from four to seven members each, and 

 new and more elaborate rules for dealing with surpluses 

 (see Appendix 3) were to be used. There was little dis- 

 cussion now of arithmetical details, and the debates were 

 mainly of the political effects and difficulties of the system. 

 The supporters of the system urged that it provided repre- 

 sentation for minorities. It is noticeable to one familiar 

 with present-day discussions that there was little mention 

 of the proportional representation of parties ; but this was 

 scarcely to be expected, for there were then no definit-e 

 parties as we have now. The opponents of the system 

 argued that it was not understood; that electors did not 

 want it ; and, in particular, that the country districts 

 (other than the West Coast) were against it ; that there 

 were no principles or parties to be represented ; and that 

 large districts were difficult to canvass. The bill was 

 withdrawn by tiie Government, and the Electoral Act of 

 1896 (in which, as previously mentioned, the Hare sys- 

 tem was uscid only in Hobart and Launceston) was con- 

 :'tinued until 1901." 



In 1901 Sir Elliott Lewis introduced an Electoral 

 Bill ('^) in which the Hare system (with the rules of the 

 Act of 1896) was to be used for the whole of Tasmania. 

 The Hare system was opposed on much the same grounds 

 as in 1899, and the Government gave way, and reverted 

 to the single-member system throughout Tasmania. 



The electoral law was again under consideration in 

 1906. It was desired that Commonwealth and State 

 should use joint electoral rolls, and the most convenient 



(■*) t^ee liibii igrapliy ■ o. 15. 



