THE COUNTRY QUOTA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 2, 3 January 1941, Page 4

THE COUNTRY QUOTA.

Democratic ideas used to *• expressed in the twin slogan, "One men, one vote" and "Every vote of eqnal value." But what do we see in a list of the 70 European electorate* in New Zealand at the time of the last general election held in 1938! They vary in numbers from 9231 (Egniont) to 18,999 (Wellington North). Here is a '"country quota" of 100 per cent plus 537 votes and if 9000 elector* in Wellington North consider they have been disfranchised in favour of the cattle and eheep and wild pigs which occupy the uninhabited regione of Mir. Wilkinson's domain, who could blame them? Bay of Islands, Waitaki *nd Waitomo, a"ll with less than 10,000 voters, each return a member whoee vote counts for as much in Parliament aa does that of the members who represent over 17,000 voters in the following:— Auckland East, Auckland West, Eden, Remuera. Wellington Central and Wellington West. Auckland Central end Christchurch North have over M.OOO voters, and the following—all town electorates— have all over 15,000-Chnet-church East, Cbxistchurch South, Dunedin Central, Dunedin Dunedin Weet, Grey Lynn, Hutt, Onehunga, Palmcrston North, Kosloll, Wellington East, Wellington South and Wellington Suburbs. Thames, my «*" district, with over 12,000, electors is perhaps somewhere near the average, Irat it looks as if a new Redistribution BUI, to restore democratic rule in New Zealand, were one of the most measures, for Parliament to taetie between now and next e ' ec *' ol i p ..- R Tj