EDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1925
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BILL PROVIDED WITH PENALTY CLAUSE *****
THE CORRUPT AND ILLEGAL PRACTICES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1985 REPRESENTED ANOTHER STEP IN PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE SECRETARY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND INFORMATION, THE HON PETER TSAO SAID TODAY.
MOVING THE SECOND READING OF THE BILL, MR TSAO TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT IT SOUGHT TO PROVIDE A PENALTY FOR ANY PERSON TO MAKE A FALSE STATEMENT OF FACT ABOUT A CANDIDATE, OR FOR THE CANDIDATE HIMSELF TO DO SO.
HE SAID THAT BREACH OF THE PROVISIONS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO A FINE OF $500 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR THREE MONTHS UPON SUMMARY CONVICTION, OR A FINE OF $2 000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR SIX MONTHS ON CONVICTION UPON INDICTMENT.
+AN EFFECT OF THE BILL WILL BE ALSO TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR AN ORDER TO BE SOUGHT FROM THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL PRESCRIBING THE MAXIMUM LEVEL OF EXPENSES WHICH MAY BE INCURRED BY A CANDIDATE STANDING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS, HE ADDED.
THE PROPOSED CEILING IS $20 000 FOR FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES WHICH COMPRISE AN ELECTORATE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THAT OF THE AVERAGE DISTRICT BOARD CONSTITUENCY, BUT WITH A MUCH WIDER GEOGRAPHICAL DISPERSAL OF ITS ELECTORS.
AS THE ELIGIBLE ELECTORATE IN ANY OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE CONSTITUENCIES WOULD NOT EXCEED 59 AND THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD MINIMAL, MR TSAO SAID, THE EXPENSES WHICH CANDIDATES IN THESE CONSTITUENCIES WILL NEED TO INCUR ON ELECTIONEERING WILL ACCORDINGLY BE RELATIVELY SMALL AND IT IS FELT FOR THIS REASON THAT THE CEILING ON THEIR EXPENSES SHOULD BE CAST AT THE LOWER LEVEL OF $10 000.←
+ON A PER CAPITA BASIS. THESE PROPOSED CEILINGS WOULD ALLOW AN AVERAGE EXPENDITURE OF $2.86 PER ELECTOR IN THE CASE OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, AS COMPARED TO AN AVERAGE OF $2.28 PER ELECTOR IN THE DISTRICT BOARD CONSTITUENCIES, MR TSAO SAID.
+ IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE CONSTITUENCIES, HOWEVER, THE PROPOSED CEILING OF $10 000 WOULD PRODUCE THE VERY MUCH HIGHER PER CAPITA FIGURE OF $277 PER ELECTOR, AND FURTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN AS TO WHETHER THIS CEILING SHOULD NOT BE SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED, HE SAID.
DEBATE ON THE BILL WAS ADJOURNED.
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