ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Evening Star, Issue 18044, 11 August 1922, Page 3

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

POLITICAL INFLUENCE CHARGE.

[From -Qua Parliamentary Exporter.]

WELLINGTON, August II

“ I would like to protest against its being possible for interested parties by petition to bring pressure to bear on tho Electoral Boundary Commissioners, and cause a population of roughly 1,500 to bo taken out of one electorate and transferred ■to an adjoining electorate,” remarked Mr M'Combs. when the Electoral Boundaries Commission report was tabled to-day. The member for Lyttelton declared that if Proportional Representation prevailed in and around Christchurch there would have been no need to resort to this devious backdoor method to take a block of 1,500 votes out ot Kaiapoi to safeguard the Reform member’s interest. It amounted to a political scandal that such adjustment could be made possible in the interests of the political party in power, because certain wires were pulled.

Mr Glenn raised the point of order that tho lion, member had no right to make reflections on the Reform Party that it manipulated the boundaries, (Laughter.) Mr Massey : The hon. member will have to answer for this. I am watching him verv carcfullv.

Mr Speaker ruled that the member must not reflect on individuals.

Mr M'Combs: No threatening by tho Prime Minister will coerce me from doing my duty in exposing a grave electoral scandal.

Mr .Massey, with a vigorous bang of the fist on ids desk, remarked: Make a definite charge; give us names. Mr M'Combs: You have only to look up the report to sec tho names of the petitioners.

_Mr Massey: You know they have tho right to petition. The Hon. E. P. Lee: How is it a scandal if they are within their rights? Mr M'Combs; “They are exercising legal rights, but they have no moral right to do what has been done. I say that the Boundary Commissioners in their wisdom thought Kaiapoi should contain a population of nearly 16,000, but because of petitions in connection with the matter they reduced it to 14.525.” Tho ; hon. member concluded by declaring tint the M'Oallum clause increasing the population margin was a mistake, as it., enabled the Boundary Commission to do as they pleased.

Mr Holland said there was a suspicion that the Boundary Commissioners were not free from political influence in fixing boundaries. He made no charge, but the ‘ Westport News,’ a Reform paper did so. It had 1 stated editorially that in connection with the .redistribution of the boundaries of the Buller electorate geographical considerations had been set aside in order that political considerations might weiMi. That was a charge made by the Reform paper. Tho position was that a certain area had been tacked on to Buller which made it safer for the- speaker, but if it had gone into the two adjoining electorates the sitting member would have been endangered.

Mr Jones (Kaiapoi) was apparently waiting his chance to speak, but Mr Holland had not concluded his observatiohs when the discussion was adjourned till the next day by the dinner adjournment intervening.