Hawke's Bay Herald WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1904. REPRESENTATION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12951, 28 December 1904, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1904. REPRESENTATION.

The question of proportional representation is attracting a good deal of attention in England just now. It

may be that the present Government is afraid that the Irish party may shortly play a part not unlike that which they played nearly twenty years ago during the Home Rule movement. The Liberal party are perhaps not quite clear what policy would consist best with the party interests. They would, no doubt, like the help of the Irish party in the task of placing the present Ministry in a minority. But once in power, they would willingly see the number of tiie Irish representatives considerably decreased. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, accordingly, while admitting that Ireland was Over represented in the House of Commons, objected to interfering with the question unless the irregularities which exist in the British system are corrected by a comprehensive measure. In onr own country it is difficult to understand how such a system could exist. We are so accustomed to the one man one vole, to an almost equal division of electorates according to population, that the British system seems to us almost wholly incomprehensible. The explanation is that in Great Britain they have no sys'em of periodic revision, and the electorates which are very old vary in tlm most extraordinary manner. Some of the more populous have no fewer than 36,000 electors to each member. .Some, on the other hand, have oid j 1500. The fact is that in Great Britain representation does not go by head. Originally the theory was that each of the estate* was represented in Parliament. At n later date the local principle prevailed, and Parliament has always been loth to disfranchise an electorate. But the system of individual representation lias never been accepted, although in connection with the present ogit-c-tion for reform it has come prominently before the public notice.

The disparity in England exists liecause some parts of the country, and particularly the manufacturing districts, have increased rapidly, while oth?r districts have stood still. In Ireland the cause is different. It is a fret, of course, that the population of Ireland has decreased during the last century from five and a half to four and a half millions, while the population of England and Wales lias increased from nine to thirty-two millions. Yet Ireland had 100 representatives in 1800, and has 103 now, while England and Wales had 513 in 1800 and have 495 now. The representation of Ireland bas in-

creased while its population hn decreased, and the representation tl England and Wales hna grown less, while their population has nearly quadrupled. There can be no sense in such a system. The case is, of course,. worse when we find a. prominent Irish member like Mr Redmond declaring that his party would lie able to coerce the Imperial Parliament by their control of 80 votes. Mr Balfour, as long ago as May last, recognised the injustice of the position, and more recently announced that the Government had tne matter under consideration. , Tkerc is some chance, therefore, that the question of redistribution may bo taken in bund before the dissolution of the present Parliament. Among English journals whUb have given attention to the question is the “Spectator,” which has for some years advocated an automatic system on linos very similar to our own, with a revision after each census. We need not go into the details of tho system, hut will merely mention some cf the results which would follow its adoption. At present the representation in England is 465, Wales 30, Scotland 72, Ireland 103, total 670. In England the application of the principle referred would mean a gain of 5 seat®—6 being lost to the boroughs and 11 gained by 'the dainties in which tho smaller boroughs are merged In Wales there would be a gain of 1 county and a loss of 4 borough members. In Scotland a loss of 4 borough and a gain of 2 county members. In Ireland a loss of 6 borough and 29 comity members. A scheme of this kind is, of course, too purely theoretic for British tastes to be adopted, although it is working oul hero. But it has been referred to ir, order to show what changes the introduction of a system such as ours would bring about in the Engliph House of Commons. If any change is made it is probable that, it will be effected by allotting to each county its fair share of members, and then making as equitable a redistribution us possible without altering the personal constituencies more than can bo helped. Such a scheme would reduce the Irish membership by thirty, and it is especially in the south of Ireland that the loss would occur. We confess that there seems no reason why Ireland should be differently treated from the rest of the United Kingdom, and especially, to use Mr Chamberlain’s words, “Why wo should play into Mr Redmond’s hands by giving him more power than he is entitled to?” It remains to be seen whether the Liberal party will assist the Government by not making it a party question.