Evening Post. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1886. READJUSTMENT OF REPRESENTATION.

Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 23, 14 June 1886, Page 2

Evening Post. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1886. READJUSTMENT OF REPRESENTATION.

The census returns which wo published on Saturday, and to some' extent analysed, will present a very difficult problem to those who demand a scheme of redistribution of representation based upon them. There is no doubt that if population is to, be taken as the sole factor in' the apportionment of representation, which was tho principle on which the present Representation Act professed to bo based, the balance of population has shifted during the last five years to such an extent as to entitle the North Isluud to an increaso of about one-thirtieth of the whole representation, and this, of course, could only be granted at the expense of a reduction in the present representation of the South Island. It may, however, we think, well be questioned whether the existing disproportion is sufficient to justify an attempt at present to restore tho balance. The first question is. of course, us between the islands. Can three members be taken from the South and three additional seats be given to the North? It will undoubtedly be very difficult, if not impossible, to do so, and Btrange as it may appear, we doubt whether it would be altogether fair, or quite as great a boon to tho North ns at first sight would appear. If the change has to be made, then it must to some extent be at the cost of those portions of the Middle Island which are in their interests moro intimately associated with the North than they are with the other portions of their own island. "We should be very sorry to see Nelson, Marlborough and Westland suffer a reduction of _ representation, even if wo nominally gained by it. Supposing, however, that the problem as between the two islands, is capable of satisfactory solution, how aro the still more difficult and complex questions between the several provincial districts in each island to bo dealt with ? In tho North, it is clear that Wellington and Auckland are each entitled to an additional member. The third would have to bo provided for by excesses from Auckland, Hawko's Bay, and Wellington. In the South, Canterbury would clearly have to lose ono member, but where would the other two seats come from? To obtain them, almost all existing political landmarks must be obliterated in a manner which could not fail to produce very great confusion. In fact, to secure anything like equal electorates, tho boundaries of uu enormous number of districts would require to be rearranged. Out of tho ninety-one electorates there aro nineteen in the North and fortytwo in tho South which do not contain the requisite quota of population. The system of adopting population as the solo basis of representation is, wo think, a radically bad ono, as it is attempted to bo combined with territorial representation of the present fashion. Area and special interests should, under such a system as ours, always be considered. The establishment of a quota is only really possible as a portion of a scheme of true proportional representation, such as that known as tho Babe system. It is utterly impossible fairly to portion out the colony ns a whole, or its separate Islands or Provincial districts, into areas which shall each contain an equal number of inhabitants. If such a schome were possible at all, it should be carried out mechanically by the Registrar-General, or some other officer, after each census, without the direct interposition of Parliament at all. As it is now, we do not think that if Parliament attempts the task, it will succeed in making a very muoh more equitable apportionment of political power than that at present existing. The disproportions existing even between the islands are not, after all, so great as to justify the enormous confusion whioh must result from any present attempt to rectify them, and much as we should like to see ¦Wellingtonjnven another member, we have to reluctantly admit that the general good may require us to submit for some time longer to the present inequality and insufficiency. We very much regret this, bu> as the figures of the census stand, we exptct a large majority of the House will desire to " let sleeping dogs lie."