THE ELECTORATES

Evening Star, Issue 19274, 12 June 1926, Page 11

THE ELECTORATES

CHANGES MAY FOLLOW CENSUS SOUTH'S POLITICAL LOSSES [From Our Parliamentary Reporter,] WELLINGTON, June 11. A gain in population of .49,000 over the South Island, which is what the preliminary census figures disclose, points to the North Island securing yot/another electorate, at least, at the expense of the South. Now Zealand's representation system is based strictly cm population, and after each census---at intervals of five years—a commission has to be set up to look into the distribution of the people, and allocate them parliamentary representation on a quota basis, whicli means dividing the total by seventy-six, the number of seats for European members. Once again the North Island shows a much bigger gain in numbers, mid in due course the Representation Commission must get to work, and changes will occur. South Island constituencies are getting larger and fewer, while the North Island seats grow in number and in compactness. Until the census of 1901 was taken the South Island bad the larger population, but this particular enumeration disclosed a balance of over eight thousand in favor of the North, a difference which has been rapidly accentuated. It had political effect in 1911, when the North Island gained a seat from the South, ' making the representation: North Island, 42 seats: South Island, 34. After the 1916 census, when the electoral uota was fixed at 17,118 inhabitants . per constituency, throe new North Island seats came into being— Roskill (Auckland)., _ Rotorua, and Manawatu (near Wellington). Then the representation stood: North Island, 45; South Island, 31. The 1921 census provided a more moderate redistribution of seats. Only one was taken from the South Island, the gainer being the Waikato, which obtained a new electorate of that name, while the borough of Hamilton became a separate constituency. The electoral quota had now reached 18,131 per constituency. The North Island now sends forty-six members to Parliament, ' and the South Island is represented by thirty. CALL A HALT? South Island politicians have not been content to quietly ita-tch this growing political preponderance of the North. An effort was made in 1908 to save the three doomed seats of Waikouaiti, Tuapeka, and Courtenay, the suggestion being that the South snoukl continue to hold its seats, and that North island increases in population should be met by the creation of additional constituencies. Sir Joseph Ward, the Prime Minister, announced that ne was quite willing to do something if the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Massey) would agree, but the latter declared that it was the Government’s duty to submit proposals to Parliament, and then ho would give an opinion, but not before. The subject was dropped until 1911, when the further loss of three Southern scats prompted Mr James Allen (now Sir James) to revive the proposal to maintain Southern boundaries, his strongest point being that the constituencies were already ton umvieldly to work, and things were becoming worse. The South got out of that situation with the loss of one seat, but since Sir James made his proposals it has lost another four scats, and some of the South Island constituencies aro far too large in area to bo adequately covered by candidates during the election campaign. Sir James Allen subsequently became a Minister of tbo Crown, but he does not seem to have utilised his heightened influence to secure any change in the electoral system. Unless Parliament deals with the matter early in the coming-session, the recommendations of the Electoral Commission will automatically come into force.