ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 31 August 1927, Page 7

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

REPORT OF COMMISSION.

DISCUSSION IN THE HOUSE. Wellington, Aug. 30. The Hon. A. D- McLeod laid on the table of the House of Representatives this afternoon the report of the Electoral Boundary Commission, showing that representation of the North Island had been fixed at 47 members and the South Island 29 members.

Mr T. W. Rhodes (Thames) complained that insufficient attention was paid to community of interest. Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) objected to the secrecy with which petitions against proposed boundaries were dealt with by the Commissioners. He instanced the case of Auckland East, where the Ellerslie Racing Club had succeeded in getting an hotel included in the district without the residents of the district knowing what was going on. Mr W. S. Glenn (Rangitikei) said he had to go through five electorates to get to parts of his. district. This lack of regard for means of communi cation was a ierious matter, due to lamentable ignorance and want of common sense.

Mr. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) said his electorate had in a few years grown from 12,000 to 15.000. If, then, elections were held only every five years, it was quite evident that one member would be representing 20,000 another perhaps only 4,000. HOk. A. D. McLEOD REPLIES. The Hon. A. D. McLeod said he agreed that when objections were made to boundaries the public should have some information as to what the objections are before they' are finally disposed of. He did not agree that proportional representation would provide a remedy for existing difficulties. What the Commissioners bad to do was first to preserve a proper proportion of representation, and secondly community of interest. This latter was a difficult subject, and for years they had been widening the quota allowed to the Commissioners to effect this. Considering all the difficulties, he thought the complaints very mild indeed. He did not think the Commissioners had done their work carelessly Every square mile of country was mapped off on their plans and they worked very carefully according to the limits laid down for them. The Government had felt that the present readjustment was necessary, as members had been asking what their districts were likely to be as soon as the results ef last census were known, and it would have been impossible to delay the matter any longer. The question of representation between the North and South Islands had been raised- Forty years ago the balance was the other way and the North Island was suffering an injustice. He did not, however, think the situation was so acute that there was an need to take itvtion this session.