THE REPRESENTATION BILL IN THE UPPER HOUSE.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 61, 10 September 1881, Page 2

THE REPRESENTATION BILL IN THE UPPER HOUSE.

The debate on the second reading of the Representation Bill was resumed in the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon. The Hon. G. R. Johnson took up the thread of the disoussion He was unable to perceive the neces-ity for an increased number of members, which ho thought would lead to many evils. A readjustment of tho presont system of representation would have been far preferable to his mind, and could bo easily effected. In concluding, lie expressed his belief that, if carried, the bill would not lead to separation, because tho Middle Island would then have the North in her grasp, and would not let this island out of her hands until she had got out of it all there was to be got. This remark elicited some laughter. Referring to the AttorneyGeneral, who had moved tho second reading of the bill, tho Hon. Dr. Grace said that rlnrhipr the unsatisfied aspirations of a long life that hon. gentleman seemed to have run riot in his desire for Liberal excesses, and ho prognosticated that tho interests of the country would suffer materially at his hands. He held that on the basis of population alone the representation as it now existed between the two Islands was as nearly fair as it was possible to make it. Regarding tho Maori population, he believed that had the majority been resident in the Middle Island they would have been reckoned on the basis of population as contributories to tho revenue and members of Parliament. But a lethargy had crept over this part of the colony, which was unworthy of the struggles through which it had passed and the future that was in store. The representation of the two Islands at this moment was that happiest compromise which could be effected between the representation of population and revenue, in support of which contention he quoted statistics relating to the European and Maori population and tho imports of the colony. What was really tecessary, ho said, was a shifting of representatives in tho Middle Island to new districts— a merging of districts so as more justly to appropriate representation both to population and revenue-producing districts. Nothing justified the evil of increased representation in a country like ours. The practical result of ¦Jhis would be to make confusion more confounded in " another place." The Hon. Mr. Scotland pointed out that if representation were based on population as proposed, New Zealand, when the inhabitants numbered a million and a half, would have the same number of representatives as the United States, which contained about 50 million people Mr. Reynolds spoke briefly in support of the measure, and was followed by Mr. Williamson, who was not prepared to vote against it. Mr. Mantell, however, opposed it, notwithstanding his belief that it would be carried. The AtterneyGene r al haying briefly replied, Mr. Chambßrlin obtained permission to withdraw his amendment, which was to the effect that tho bill be not read a second timo till the next meeting of Parliament. At 5 o'clock a division was called for, and, as will be seen from the following division lisfc resulted in the second reading being c&rrieo by a majority of six, the ayes being 14 and the noes 8. Ayes— Acland, Brett, Fraser, Holmes, Johnston, Ngatate, Nurse, Peacock, Peter, Reynolds, tiobinson, Whitaker, Wigley, Wood. Noes— Buckley, Chamberlm, Dignan, Lahmann, Mantell, Martin, Richmond. Scotland. It should be mentioned that the following members left the Chamber, declining to vote either way :•— Hojs. G. M. Waterhouse, C. J. Pharazyn, G. R. Johnson, and Dr. Grace, of Wellington, and J. Williamson, of Auckland.