REPRESENTATION.
On the subject of representation, Mr. Ballance left himself in the hands of his constituents. We had always believed that no extreme Liberal was " sound on the goose" who did not declare himself distinctly in favor of " representation in proportion to population" — an axiom which this journal would support, although we should be in favor of handicapping borough constituencies a little in favor of county constituencies, if only with a hope of thereby encouraging settlement on the waste lands of the colony. If, for instance, 4,500 were decided upon as a fair average number for a borough constituency, then 3,500 country voters might be formed into a country constituency. Any kind of legislation which woxild be final would be regarded by the public as satisfactory. Hitherto, Representation Bills have been simply the result of political log-rolling and private arrangements among the members. The country hardly appears ripe for Hare's system, or any modification of it. The recollection of the Hon. P. Whittaker's total failure to obtain support to such a Bill, in 1878, is still fresh in the minds of most of our politicians.
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Bibliographic details
Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 114, 18 May 1881, Page 2
Word Count
185REPRESENTATION. Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 114, 18 May 1881, Page 2
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