TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1887.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 156, 5 July 1887, Page 4

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1887.

The results of the labours of the Ke" presentation Commission are now before us in detail, and they suggest many curious inquiries. The Commissioners have availed themselves of the 750 margin- allowed by law in a manner that is as unsatisfactory as it is puzzling. The average for the colony, which was taken as the basis of the town representation, was found to be 7,085, and it was the duty of the Commissioners to mark off the new electorates so as to approximate as near that figure as possible. It is very curious, then, that in marking off the adjacent electorates of Newton and Ponsonby, the population of the former should have been settled at G.3IS and of the latter at 7,832, making the difference between the two 1,514 persons. There is nothing that we are aware of eitherin the character of the population or the location of these districts that should have prevented a more equal division, unless the Commissioners are of .opinion that area, is represented and not men. All the Auckland city electorates except Newton range considerably above the average. If we take the seven principal seats collectively they total 51,289, or an average of 7,321, while the average for the four Christclmrch city seats is only 6,813. The margin of 750 allowed to the Commissioners, which really gave them a play of 1,500, was, we think, much wider than was necessary or desirable. They might, in the exercise of the prerogative thus conferred upon them, have given Auckland another member. The minimum for town constituencies was 6,335, and if we were to divide the seven city seats into eight equal divisions we should get an average of 6,411. Of course they were bound, in making their adjustments, to keep in view the limit of 91 members and to get compact boundaries, and possibly they have reasons for the course they have pursued which we are not aware of ; nevertheless it is hard to conjecture why some of the boundaries were adopted. The inclusion of the town, of Devonport in Waiteraata was an unwise arrangement if it could fairly have been avoided. Strong dissatisfaction with regard to some of the readjustments, we observe, is being expressed in Wellington. The alteration in boundaries, however, is not of such a nature as to cause any change in of the declarations of candidates for particular seats. City East has been pretty well chopped up, and is hardly recognisable in Auckland Central, but still Sir George Grey will stand for the constituency with the new name instead of attacking City North, which takes so large a slice out of his old territory. The latter constituency, by the addition made to it, may probably be ranked now as the most Conservative of the Auckland seats, as it includes all the leading business premises. Auckland Central, by recruiting itself out of Karangahape, obtains a larger share of the popular vote than was contained in the district it displaces. The changes in Eden may perhaps cause Mr Tole to consider "whether he belongs properly to the electors of Newton or to those who still register under the old title. Inother respects, however, we presume the candidates who are announced will make their electoral arrangements conformable to the re-adjtisted boundaries of the seats for which they are already announced, and will now being the fight in earnest.