NEW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26560, 24 October 1951, Page 6

NEW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF COMMISSION - * “*' '/ ’..-■-'•'J />■ j. ' v .

NOMINATION EXPECTED SHORTLY

Within the next few weeks Parliament is expected to nominate the four unofficial members of toe new Representation Commission which is responsible for toe revision of toeelectoral boundaries of the 76 European seats in the House of Representatives on toe basis of the 1951 census. Three members of the commission, the Surveyor-General and the Commissioners of Crown Lands for Auckland and Canterbury—hold official appointments under the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945. The four unofficial members hold office only until the next census is taken. Until 1945 electoral boundaries were revised by Separate commissions for the North and South Islands. The North Island commission consisted of the Surveyor-General, the Commissioners of Crown Lands for Taranaki and Auckland, and two members nominated by the House of Representatives. The South Island commission consisted of the Commissioners of Crown Lands for Westland, Canterbury. and Otago and two nominated members.

Under the Electoral Amendment 1945, the separate commissions were abolished and provision was made for the appointment of a single commission of seven members. The unofficial members of the Representation Commission which revised the electoral boundaries after the 1945 census were Messrs C. L. Grange, A. Blake, A. Rosser, and Harman Reeves. Mr Grange was then Thames Borough Commissioner, Mr Blake was zoning officer for the Auckland Milk Council, and Messrs Rosser (Auckland) and Reeves (Dunedin) were the remaining members of the North and South Island commissions abolished by the act. Since 1945 there have been several changes in the Representation Commission as originally constituted. Mr Harman Reeves died in 1948 and Mr Grange was appointed last year as manager of the Totalisator Agency Board. Mr Rosser is now 87 years of age, and it is not expected that he will be nominated for membership of the new commission. The Surveyor-Gen-eral (Mr R. G. Dick) is chairman of the commission ex-officio. Seats for Each Island When the commission meets, probably early in December, it will first have to fix the number of seats for each island. Under the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945, it is required to ensure that the number of electoral districts in the North Island bears as nearly as possible the same Rrtion to the number of districts > South Island as the total population of the North Island bears to the total population of the South Island. The preliminary census figures announced show that New Zealand has s European.population of 1,825,926. Of these 1.204,020 are in toe North Island and 621,906 in the South Island. These would give both islands the-' same number of seats as at present—so in the North Island with an average population of 24,000 and 26 in the South Wand with an average population of As the result of amendments to the Electoral Act last year the commission will allocate the seats on the basis of total population instead of adult population. In fixing electoral boundaries it can also use an increased tolerance of 7| per cent above or below th|s figure. Because of the tolerance the total population of future electorates will vary. With 24,000 as the probable quota the range is likely to be between 22.000 and 25,800 approximately. From toe certified census information which it received from the Government Statistician the commission determines the number of electoral districts in each stand in proportion to the population and fixes the population quota for each constituency. Then it can begin the main and detailed task of dividing the Dominion into its 76 European electorates. The results are announced on a provisional basis and objections to the decisions are considered before the final scheme is prepared.