46 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION, 



R.S. TAS. 



the second reading of the Bill (1896, No. 3) is reported in 

 the Hobart '' Mercury " of 13th August. The debate on 

 the amendment to Clause 115, substituting the Clark 

 method of dealing with surpluses for Hare's method 

 propo^^ed in the Bill when introduced is reported in 

 the "Mercury" of 20th August. The rules originally 

 proposed and Mr. Clark's rules in the form finally 

 adopted in the Act are printed in Appendices 1 and 2. 



3. R. M. Johnston (Government Statistician, Tasmania). 

 Observations on the Working Results of the Hare System 

 of Election in Tasmania. 



{In Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society 

 of Tasmania, 1897, pp. 69-96 and two diagrams. 

 Also issued as a pamphlet by Government Printer, 

 Hobart, 1897, pp. 1-32 (iiichiding title and analysis) 

 and two diagrams, 8vo.) 



1. The chief merit of the Hare system is the large 

 electoral division, permitting the units of any body of 

 opinion as large as a quota to luiite and obtain a mem- 

 ber. 2. The merits of the preference and transferable 

 vote. 3. Popular exaggerated estimates of the influence 

 upon results of the distribution of surpluses, illustrated 

 by the experience of the election of 1897 in Hobart and 

 Launceston. 4. General questions arising out of this 

 election : — modification of the Hare system introduced 

 by A. I. Clark; proportion between surpluses and all 

 votes in the 1897 elections-; the value of the element of 

 chance remaining with the Clark-Hare method ; the 

 relative values of the preferences at the 1897 elections ; 

 what is the best index of general favour (the aggregate 

 of all preferences better than the first choices) ; the 

 effect of marking only three preferences ; the propor- 

 tion of invalid ballot-papers (365 per cent, in Hobart), 

 and the nature of the defects (53 per cent, not due to 

 the peculiarities of the Hare system) ; improved form of 

 ballot-paper ; suggestions for the conduct of the 

 scrutiny. 5. How to simplify the ballot for those who 

 cannot read or write. 6. Reply to critics of the method 

 of distribution of surpluses used by the returning offi- 

 cers at the 1897 election. Table: Analysis of the voting 

 at the 1897 election in Hobart, showing the various 

 counts and the final result. Table showing the values 

 of the effective preferences for each candidate at this 

 election, with diagram. Tal)le showing the first, second, 

 and third preferences recorded for each candidate at 

 the same election, with diagram. Illustration of the 

 method of marking ballot-papers, and explanation of 

 the various counts of a scrutiny. 



Reprinted in 19a. 



