1913. 



BY E. L. PIESSE, B.SC, LL.B. 65 



IV. The first preference excess votes set aside for trans- 



fer to candidates who have not yet been excluded 

 shall be distributed in a proportion to be deter- 

 mined by reference to the total number of second 

 preferences of such candidates : that is to say, the 

 number of votes to be transferred to a candidate 

 shall bear as nearly as practicable the same pro- 

 portion to the surplus for distribution as the said 

 candidate's second preferences on the whole elec- 

 tion bear to the second preferences on the whole 

 election of all the candidates who are not yet 

 excluded ; and, if any doubt or dispute shall arise 

 as to the number of transfer votes Avhich should 

 be included in respect of any candidate, the deci- 

 sion of the Returning Officer General shall be final : 



V. If m any case the number of excess votes transferred 



to a candidate shall exceed the number required to 

 give the quota of votes to that candidate, the excess 

 shall be transferred to other candidates, and shall 

 be distributed in a proportion to be determined by 

 a reference to the total number of the third pre- 

 ferences of such candidates ; that is to say, the num- 

 ber of votes to be transferred to a candidate shall 

 bear as nearly as practicable the same proportion 

 to the surplus for distribution as the said candi- 

 date's third preferences on the whole election bear 

 to the third preferences on the whole election of all 

 the candidates who are not yet excluded; and, if 

 any doubt or dispute shall arise as to the number 

 of transferred votes which should be included in 

 respect of any candidate, the decision of the return- 

 ing officer shall be final. All excess votes trans- 

 ferred as directed by this subsection are herein- 

 after referred to as transfer excess votes of the 

 second order : 



This process shall be repeated, if necessary, until 

 no candidate has more than a quota of first votes, 

 or votes deemed first. 



vi. If, after all the votes have been respectively assigned 

 to the several candidates as hereinbefore directed, 

 it is found that no candidate, or an insufficient 

 number of candidates, has obtained the quota of 

 votes necessary for his or their election, then, and 

 in every such case the candidate who has obtained 

 the lowest number of votes, shall be excluded from 

 the poll, and all the votes previously counted for 

 such candidate shall be transferred to the remain- 

 ing candidates who have not yet been excluded, and 

 shall be distributed among them in the manner 

 hereinbefore provided for the distribution of trans- 

 fer excess votes of the first order (Subsections iii. 

 and IV.) : 



VII. If in any case the number of any lowest candidate's 

 votes transferred to another, as directed in the pre- 

 vious subsection, shall exceed the number required 

 to give the quota of votes to that candidate, the 

 excess shall be deemed to be a transfer excess of 



