THE ELECTORATES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 100, 29 April 1937, Page 17

THE ELECTORATES

NEW BOUNDARIES

COMMISSIONS APPOINTED

The personnel of the boundary representation commissions to revise the electoral boundaries in accordance with, the distribution of population revealed . iby the Census of last year was announced last night by the Minister in Charge of the Electoral Department (the Hon. H. G. K. Mason). Two commissions undertake the revision, one for the North Island and one for the South Island. Each commission consists of five members—three official members and two unofficial members. The members of the commissions are/.— NORTH ISLAND COMMISSION. Official Members. Mr. H. E. Walshe, Surveyor-General. Mr. K. M. Graham, Commissioner ol Crown Lands, Auckland. Mr. A. F. Waters, Commissioner of Crown Lands, Taranaki. Unofficial Members. Mr. John Payne, Napier. Mr. Arthur Rossier, Auckland. SOUTH ISLAND COMMISSION. Official Members. Mr. N. C. Kensington, Commissioner of Crown Lands, Canterbury. Mr. F. H. Waters, Commissioner ol Crown Lands, Otago. Mr. B. King, Commissioner of Crowa Lands, Westland. Unofficial Members. Mr. Harman Reeves, Dunedin. Mr. John Rigg, Christchurch. LAST REVISION IN 1937. The official members are appointed by virtue of their office. The unofficial members are life appointees, but as only one of the four (Mr. Reeves) who were on the commissions when the last revision was made in 1927 is alive coday the appointment of three additional unofficial members has been necessary The three unofficial.commission-, ers who have died since 1927 are Mr. James Trounson, the donor of the Trounson Kauri forest near Dargaville, Mr. John Strauchon, a former Undersecretary of the Lands and Survey Dentrtmenti and Mr. Harry. Quane, well known many years ago as a Christchurch merchant. . _ . The commissions meet first as a joint commission,-fix the quota' and allot the number of seats to each island in proportion to population. They then meet as separate commissions and adjust the boundaries of each island. Provisional maps showing these adjustments are then published and one month allowed for objections. After considering these the commissions fix the boundaries finally and report to the Government accordingly. ~ The gradual domination of the Nortlt Island in a population sense has resulted in the South Island losing seats and the North Island gaining correspondingly. Today 47 of the 76 European seats in the House are in the North. Island, and judging by the estimated population it is almost certain that when the commissions present their report the North Island's share of, Parliamentary representation will -be still further increased at the expense of the south In redrawing the boundaries the commissions are also guided by certain considerations such as community ot interest and geographical convenience. Mr Harman Reeves was born ia Dunedin, and is a son'of "the late Mr. C G. Reeves, Mayor of Dunedin from 1876 to 1877. He joined his father in business, and later went to South Africa, where he was in business both, at Durban and Johannesburg. He returned to Dunedin in 1902. Mr. Reeves is the present . American Consul m Dunedin. He has held the position of chairman of the Dunedin Stock Exchange for the past 12 years, and is vice-president of the Stock. Exchange Association of New . Zealand. Mr. John Rigg was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1892. He resigned but was reappointed in 1893, 1900, and from 1907 to 1914. He was Chairman of Committees in 1904 and Acting Speaker from 1913 to 1914. He was chairman of the Labour Unity Conference in Wellington in 1913, and previous to that held the position of first president of the Independent Political Labour League. He retired, from active participation .in politics. some years ago. ..,-••..-.- Mr. Arthur Rosser, J.P.,- has . been, a prominent'figure in Auckland trade union circles for the past 40 years. From 1901 to 1904 he represented the: Labour Party on the Auckland City Council, . and was again returned in 1933, and is the present chairman of the council's works committee. He. has been a Justice of the Peace since 1905, and has been president both of the Auckland Justices of the Peace Association and of the. Dominion Justices of the Peace Association. He was recently appointed to represent the City Council on the Auckland Milk Council.

Mr. John Payne was returned as a Labour member of Parliament for Grey, Lynn in 1911, defeating .the Hon. G. Fowlds. He was. re-elected in 1914, but did not stand in 1919. Mr. Payne was later secretary to Mr. John Storey, Labour Premier of New South Wales. He was.for some time on the staff of the Seddon Memorial Techni-. cal College, but resigned in 1911 ta devote his time to private business.