ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVIII, Issue 10945, 17 June 1927, Page 4

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Sir,—There should be no two opinions in regard to the arguments in support of the retention of the electoral name of Ashburton. Agreement* however, in fixing the electoral is likely to remain a vexed question. The point has been publicly stressed of studying community of interest. At present the Ashburton County is divided into two electorates with license and no-license within its boundaries. It is the conflicting interests that have probably caused the Representation Commissioners to follow the line of least resistance when deciding to cut out the Ashburton electorate. The frequent changing of boundaries and the cutting out of electoral districts in the South Island is one calling for deeper thought and more united action than the feeble local protest against the work of the Representation Commission. It requires something more than calling the Commissioners hard names to stop the ever-increasing drift of the rural population to the cities. There is something seriously wrong when that large and fertile area of North Canterbury and Marborough Province is so devoid of rural population that it can barely keep two members in Parliament. Some of these country electorates have already become too large and scattered for one man to contest, or adequately represent. The depletion of the rural population, together with the large area or neglected and partially worked country, should give the Government greater concern, instead of apparently lulling its members to sleep. The neglect of primary industries, the concentration of so large a proportion of the population on non-essential work in the cities, is not going to pay interest on an increasing national debt, or bring permanent prosperity to the Dominion. It is about time a halt was called with the continual tinkering of electoral boundaries, and the filching of South Island country, seats. There has been a large increase in popular tion, yet no increase in Parliamentary representation. If Parliament can be persuaded to increase the number of seats in the House, and give the North Island additional representation, there would be more than a sporting charice of the fair name of Ashburton being retained on the political map of New Zealand. S. ANDREW. Winchmore Rural.