BASIS OF REPRESENTATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 18, 21 January 1916, Page 4

BASIS OF REPRESENTATION.

While we entirely sympathise with the Minister of Internal Affairs in his desire to effect all reasonable economies in his Department during the continuance of the war, we cannot help thinking he was sadly ill-advised in proposing to postpone the census due t^'« year for an indefinite period. The census is not taken solely for the purpose of obtaining tho information required for the revision of the electoral 'boundaries, but, as this is the aspect of the question dealt with by our Wellington correspondent, we may point out again how extremely unfairly tho adoption of Mr. Russell's proposal would 'have affected this part of the Dominion. Apparently the Minister recognised the justice of our previous remarks on this subject, and was prepared to give the Auckland district in a haphazard fashion such additional representation ac it was entitled to by the increase of its population between the general election of 1911 and the general election of 1914. But he took no account at all of the increase between the taking of the census in April of 1911 and the holding of the election in December of the same year, or of the increase between the election of 1914 and the- next election, whenever it may be. What the actual increase was during the first of those periods there are no reliable figures to show, and what it -will be during the second no one can say; but we all know that the drift of population northward did not begin in 19X1, and did not end in 1914. The fact is that Mr. Russell proposed to give this district additional Parliamentary representation on the bass of three years' increase instead of on the basis' of five years' increase.

Wo do not wish to be parochial about this matter, nor to claim any advantage for Auckland to which it is not fully entitled, but we can see not the slightest reason why the war should be made au excuse for a radical departure from the democratic spirit of our national institutions. If the Government thought it better, in the special circumstances, to estimate the movements of population since 1911 than to spend £60,000 or £70,000 in obtaining precise information, it should have handed the whole business over to the Representation Commission with instructions to do the best it could with the available data. Auckland would have no particular reason to be pleased with such an arrangement, for even if the Commission assumed that the drift northward continued at the rate shown by our Wellington correspondent, it still probably would do some injustice to this district. The closer the figures are examined the more impressive they become. The representation was adjusted by the Commission in 1911 to give a "common quota"— subject, of course, to the allowance to rural constituencies — throughout the Dominion, but by 1914, the average number of electors to each, member had grown to 7,511 in Auckland, while it stood at 6,540 in Wellington, at 6,563 in Canterbury, and at 6,326 in Otago.' It was not in the city constituencies alone, as some of our southern friends imagine, that Auckland had asserted its advantage. Of the total increase in this district, 10,753 electors were in the city, and 13,901 in the rnral constituencies. In Wellington the figures wore 2,461 and 3,044 respectively, and in Canterbury 3,607 and 2,702, while in Otago there was a decline of 662 in the city constituencies and an increase of 411 in the rural constituencies. Obviously the notion that Auckland is a place where population is crowding into the city, to the neglect of the country districts, is a delusion that must be summarily dismissed. Even' , Bay of Islands, which contains thousands upon thousands of acres of the richest land in the Dominion calling out for settlement, sent more voters to the poll at the last general election than did any of the older agricultural districts of Canterbury and Otago. Taumarunui, a purely nrrai district, which is suppoeed to enjoy a "country quota" of .28 per: cent over the city constituencies, polled more votes than did Wellington South or Christchurch East or Duncdin Central. Mr. Parr, the member for Eden, represents more than twice as many electors ac th« Minister of Public Works,, the representative of Wakatipu, does, and Mr. Dtekeon, the member for Parnell, nearly twice ac many as the Minister of Defence, the representative of Bruce, does. To deliberately perpetuate- such anom&liea aa - these would be a crying reproach to our whole electoral system, and would bring out boasts of ""one elector one vote" and "one vote one "value * into ridicule and conten^t.

The following is Mr D. C. Bates' weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day: "The indications are for variable and moderate breezes, but moderate to strong easterly winds prevailing. Weather cloudy to overcast at times, and misty rain is to be expected. Barometer unsteady. Tides good. Sea moderate."

In the "Star" Supplement for to-mor-row evening there are some more than Usually interesting illustrations, such as a picture of the latest big British battleplane with double engines and propellers, a portrait of the remarkable French girl who got the Military Cross for her heroic deed at Loos, and a picture of the wonderful ruins at Ctesiphon, the interesting spot in Mesopotamia where the Turks and the British had a hard fight. The articles on the war are varied and informative, and the Supplement also contains its usual budget of stories, items of news from all over the world, and the other features which make it the magazine of the home.

"It may probably lead to the Government prohibiting 'treating , altogether for anybody, as has been done in England," declared Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., this morning, when another soldier came up for drunkenness, and it was taken for granted that it was the indiscriminate "shouting" for soldiers that had caused the man to disgrace the uniform in this way.

In a communication to the Piako County Council, the Hon. J. Allen, Minister of Defence, acknowledged the receipt of resolutions passed by that body, in favour of compulsory military service, and in favour of an export tax instead of one on farmers' income. Mr. Allen etated that the Government had decided to give the voluntiary system of enlistment a fair trial, and that ho was hopeful of securing the required number of recruits under that system. The suggestion re an export tax was referred to the Minister of Finance.

Writing from Salonika under date November 4, Sergeant Alex Prentice, of No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital, said:—"At the present time we are being afforded an opportunity of sMing the formation of an immense AngloFrench army, side by side with "the mobilisation of the Grecian thousands. The whole place is full of soldiers, all moving north. To-day we see a whole !hill3ide covered in tents, and tomorrow everything is gone. The Frenchmen are magnificent soldiers, and if they are the fruit of conscription then hi us have it every time, for in Kitchener's army there are too many boys aad not enough of big, strong, lusty men. In equipment, uniform, and everything the French appear to advantage, and their cheerful, .happy faces are an indication that they are in earnest about the whole husiness, even .though they aro conscripts."

An incident provocative of considerable laughter among the onlookers occurred hist Tuesday at the Dominion wharf, OnerahL Mr. Dv Plantier, assisted by a young Maori, was unloading a launch alongside. A heavy box was being lifted on to the wharf decking, when the Maori, who held the upper handle, found himself overbalanced by the weight He managed to clear the wharf stringers by a 15ft dive into the water. There was a danger of the box striking Mm as it fell, but he evaded it cleverly, and, coming up .alongside again, grabbed the handle and swam with it to the landing stage as if it was all in the day's work. "Py korry,' he said, as he 'wrung the water from his hair, taipo in te tarn box."

"The drought has every appearance of lasting for another three months, and most of us have become frankly pessimistic. We are beginning to wonder if the foreshore springs will haag out till the coming of the rains," writes our Onerahi correspondent. "We have become accustomed to carrying water for household purposes, but it is anything but a comfortable proceeding to struggle a-quarter mile up-hill with a heavy pail after a hard day's work, but that forms the usual evening routine for Onerahians this summer. Tanks have long since 'gone dry, , and the weekly wash bids fair shortly to become a forgotten domestic art The peninsula has always been a dry spot in summer, but this season it has certainly surpassed itself for wholesbulcd aridity and lack of rainfall."

A verdict of death from cerebral hemorrhage, caused by severe laceration of the brain, due to fracture of the skull,, the injuries being caused through deceased having accidentally fallen from a ladder on the Queen's wharf on to the concrete steps of the wharf, was returned by Mr. F. V. Friuxa, S-M., yesterday at the conclusion of the coronial inquiry into the circumstances of the death of William Ansconibc. Deceased had been a boatman in the employ of the Harbour Board, and died f rom injuries resulting from a fall at tie wharf on Monday, when he was at work cutting out a bolt on a davit head. Evidence regarding the accident which resulted in Anscombe'e fall from the davit was given by Captain R- Bell, David Johnstone, Ernest Henry Marshall and James Pritchard.

Writing from Hamilton with reference to the remarks of the secretary of the Auckland Freezing Company (Mr. D. Long), relative to the representations which were made in favour of more shipping space for Auckland frozen meat, Mr. A. Schmitt (provincial secretary of the Fanners' Freezing Co.) states:—"ln reply to Mr. Lang's explanation, surely if relief was promised why was the Farmers' TJnion not notified? There was plenty of time. However, it is so gratifying to know that things look more satisfactory that no' more need be said. I apologise if I have transgressed in any way."

It is learned (remarked the "Japan Times Commercial Supplement" of Nov. 20) that a- big deal in eentifugal sugar has just been arranged between a certain firm at Kobe and Australian buyers, though the fact is still kept eecret by bott eellers and buyers, perhaps because business tactics require it. The whole volume of business transacted is eaid to be 10,000 tons for January-Feb-ruary delivery. That the arrangement of the d«xl has been effected is, in spite of the denial by the parties concerned, a fact considering, that the sellers are now , negotiating with tramp-ehipowners for the charter of three cargo boats to take the contracted goods to Australia. It is surely welcome news to the sugar trade generally, which has taxed its best brainy as to the disposal of superfluous stocks, that roughly 10 per cent of these stocks, whicK axe estimated at 100,000 tons this season, owing , to the bumper crop of canes in Taiwan, has been thus taken by oversea buyers. '

Mt J. G. Efanley, an old settler of ■KihilriW, passed sway very enddenly sit Tβ Awaffittta on Wedneetey afternoon. Hβ bid been somcwliat nnwel] during' the morning, ibnt nothing serious was

anticipated. He yma at tousinesg as usual, and ihad been -working in his office where he ma found about 330 pjnl, quite dead. Hewt disease..EMwliCTed have been ■Uμ cause.

' Advice has been received that the JRJlts. Niagara, which cleared Vancouver at 4 p.m. on-Wednesday last, was delayed at Victoria until yesterday morning, waiting for the mails. It is thought that the lost time will be recovered during the voyage, and that the Niagara, as expected, will reach Auckland on February 6th.

A Morrinsville resident recently counted over 60 stacks of oats between that township and Motomaoho, and some crops were still waiting to be stacked. It is not so very long since a great deal of, the Waikato land was regarded as very poor land for farming purposes, but opinion has changed very much by reason of the good results obtained from it when well farmed.

It is stated by the "Maaawatu Standard" that there is strong probability of Dr. A. A. Martin, of Palmerston North, author of "A. Surgeon in Khaki," leaving for the front shortly for service in the field, but nothing definite has yet been decided. Dr. Martin served in the South African War, and also did distinguished service in France and Flanders during the first eight months of the present war. It ia more than likely that his next war work will be undertaken in. connection with a New Zealand unit.

One of the Incidents on board the hospital ship Maheno, as narrated by Cor-poral-Dispenser Donaldson, who is visiting Gore, was the spectacle of a Gurkha and a Maori, seated on the deck, endeavouring to teach each other their respective languages. The method adopted was to touch different parts of the body and pronounce the name thereof, the mispronunciations of the Maori creating much amusement on the part of the Gurkhas, while similar slips of the Gurkha elicited equal merriment from the Maoris. A striking similarity of the languages was noticeable. Both men took keen interest in this selfimposed task, and were induced to leave it with difficulty, even to partake of food.

Some excitement was caused at Trenfcham yesterday just after the Wellington Cup was run, and as the people were coming down from the top of the main stand, after witnessing the race. A ibig crowd had climbed to this vantage point, and they were descending by the approach on the outside of the stand when the flooring of one of the platforms gave way. There was some shrieking by a number of the fair sex as the flooring sank, but fortunately the .beams remained solid, and a disastrous accident, was averted. Had the beams given out with the flooring, the consequences would probably have ibeen very eerious, for there was a sheer drop of about forty feet, and at least a hundred, if not more, people must have fallen.

An incident in whkh tragedy and comedy were pathetically blended was related by Sir C H. Bacon, chairman of Bovril Australian Estates, Ltd., in his address to shareholders at the annual meeting- of the company. Last year, the chairman who at one time'was Premier of Western Australia, inspected the company's properties, --' which extend acrose Northern Australia to Darwin. "Shortly before I arrived at the station," he told his audience, "there had been some mufSers committed by the natives, and some of the culprits ihad been tried at Darwin and sentenced to be hanged.. authorities thought, as they might be excused for thinking, that instead of hanging them all in the capital city of Darwin, it •would, have a deterrent effect upon the other natives if they sent one of the. culprits to be hanged"" in his own district, and got together as many of thetribe as possible, with his friends end relatives. Accordingly, one of the culprits was sent down to the neighbourhood of our station, and the police got together ac many ot hie friends and relatives and members of his tnbe as- they could, and they banged the man from a tree in their presence. But instead of its having the desired effect, the natives never had such fun in their lives. They looked upon it as a gorgeous pantomime, and implored the police to give them an encore performance, they being quite willing to , provide another man."

Latest advices from the Panama Canal are to the effect that no definite date can yet be fixed for a reopening. It is possible that the canal authorities may allow to pass within the next weak or two, at their own rick, any vessels still waiting, but this ie not likely to be taken advantage of by oversea tonnage, owing to the risk of further elides. It taay benefit the vessels of the 6crew schooner type, which, with a small bunker capacity, cannot face any other Toute. The Government geologist, Mr Donald F. Mac Donald, -who has recently been, on the ground, predicts that there will be no further slides of any consequence, and it must be remembered that this gentleman in 1912 ventirred a. similar opinion on the same district, where eerioue elides have occurred. It would appear that the pressure has bo far relaxed that the canal bottom no longer 'bulges up, and a permanent channel is now available for the dredgers.