86 OBSERVATIONS ON THE HARE SYSTEM 



the simple method of impressing the stamp against any name 

 might be jriven in some convenient ante-room, and the care 

 that due order of the stamps in proper position is preserved in 

 the veiled recording chamber might be seen to by some officer, 

 after each candidate has recorded his vote. 



I hope the suggestions made will commend themselves to 

 those who have the responsibility of securing the success of 

 the election by the Hare system of ballot, and also to all 

 who are jealous of preserving intact the secrecy of the ballot. 



THE ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION OF QUOTA 

 EXCESSES BY THE CLARK-HARE METHOD. 



Some persons are fearful that the able returning officers at 

 Hobart and Launceston — Messrs Davies and Sadler — supported 

 as they were by the best legal opinion, and assisted as they 

 were by persons skilled in the particular work, have failed to 

 carry out the law in all its entirety in the distribution of quota- 

 surpluses at the last general election. 



But, from the expressed statements of some of the critics it 

 is very obvious that their fears arise either from an imperfect 

 or hazy notion of the exact processes expeditiously and 

 correctly carried out by the responsible officers referred to, or 

 from a very faulty notion of what our law required to be 

 carried out. From my official position at Hobart— under Mr. 

 Davies (acting-superviser of the counting processes) — I had 

 the best opportunity of knowing how the various operations of 

 the counting and distribution of ballot-papers were performed, 

 and I can trust that I will be credited when I assure all persons 

 that every process was faithfully carried out, expeditiously and 

 smoothly, in strict compliance with every provision of the law 

 as embodied in Section 115, i — x. 



It would be altogether inexcusable on my part, having such 

 responsibilities, if I had not made myself thoroughly acquainted 

 with every provision of the law affecting each of the stages of 

 counting and distribution, for I had the advantage of ample 

 time and opportunity for making myself fully acquainted with 

 all the nice points where some difficulties of interpretation 

 might arise. Moreover, I had the advantage of familiar 

 discussion and helpful advice from the law officers of the 

 Crown, and from other trained legal authorities on every 

 occasion that a possible shade of doubt presented itself to my 

 mind as regards some of the more obscure provisions. The 

 result was that I had the comfort of knowing before I engaged 

 actively on my duties that in the methods for every stage 



