The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1889.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 8819, 14 June 1889, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 1889.

Somewhat more than a year and a half baa gone by since the Act was passed to reduce the numbers of the House of Representatives from ninetyfive to seventy-four. If this Act is really to be carried into effect, it will, of coarse, necessitate a complete readjustment of electoral boundaries. Twenty-one districts will lose their separate existence, and the others will have to be bo altered and enlarged as to include them. It is quite true that the Representation Act, passed in the first session of 1887, provided that the Commissioners should alter the boundaries of existing districts as little as possible. But our readers' will recollect that this did not prevent the Canterbury districts from being cut up very much prior to the last general election. Moreover, on that occasion the Commissioners had not to reduce iho total number of districts. This time they will have to do so. That will make all the difference. Seeing that no less than five of the Canterbury districts will have to go to the wall, it is, of course, ridiculous to talk about preserving existing boundaries. There will be a sweeping change. What the electors may reasonably ,ask is that they should know the

nature and extent of the change as soon as possible. Constituents very reasonably and naturally are anxious to know where they are likely to be next year. In what district will they find themselves ? With what other minor districts will they be grouped ? The Representation Act just referred to laid down that in forming new districts due consideration should be given to community of interest, facilities for communication, and topographical features. But so far at least as this Province was concerned, the Commissioners flatly disregarded this injunction. They joined half Malvern with half Ellesmere, and the other half of Malvern with the other half of Ellesmere. They joined Geraldine with Rakaia and Temuka with Mount Cook, and evolved out of their inner consciousness the extraordinarily - shaped district of Avon, besides doing poor Canterbury out of a member to save Otago from losing one. Altogether, the people of this district had every reason to object to the treatment they got at the hands of the Commission. Unfortunately the new arrangements had to be made in a hurry. Perhaps this was the cause of the mistakes made by the Commissioners. But its effect was to prevent any effectual protest being made against those mistakes. The Act clearly contemplated such protests being made, but there was no time to make them. Section four said, “ When the Commission proposes to alter an existing electoral district due notice of the proposed boundaues, or an approximation thereto, shall be given in the Gazette, and objections in writing mav be lodged with the Commission against such proposed boundaries, aud the Commission shall duly consider any objections so lodged before coming to any final determination.” A subsequent section states that, if possible, information is to be given the House of Representatives of the changes and new districts as soon as may be. This distinctly shows that the intention of the Representation Act was Hot to take the House and country by surprise with a lot of ill-digested, ill-considered alterations. It is plain that the Act means that the Commissioners should take the public into their confidence, and hear and give full weight to every reasonable protest made against their actions. Practically, this part of the Act was not complied with in 1887. That was because it was passed and brought into operation at a gallop. The election campaign had actually begun before the new boundaries were known. Electors who were preparing to take part in one contest suddenly woke up to find that they were in a new district called to decide upon the rival merits of strange candidates, and to work in common with a new set of fellowelectors. The sudden change involved many of the sitting members in much new labour and much extra expense. No doubt it contributed also somewhat to that disgraceful state of the rolls of which so many just and loud complaints were made. It bore also very hardly on those sitting members who had done their duty by their constituents, and acquired their confidence and esteem. Such men found that, to some extent, their good conduct in the past did not stand them in as good stead as it should have done. They were separated from many of their old friends, and had to appeal to a fresh set of electors, who had probably not been watching their doings closely, and who, in many cases, did not know their faces. With their new electors they had no advantage over the veriest stranger. Now we hold that a member who has done his duty in public life for a number of years, and obtained the respect and regard of those who have sent him to Parliament, has some claim on the country. Unless for strong reason he should not suddenly be deprived of his constituency, nor should his constituents find their established connection with him lightly broken. On the other hand, the breaking up of districts favours men who have not done their duty, and who, by neglect or inconsistency, or incapacity or self-seeking, have lost their hold on their old districts. Such men are able to appeal to electors who have probably not closely watched their goings on, but who know them merely as experienced public men. In the interests, too, of new candidates as well as old, the form and shape of the changed districts should be made public as soon as possible. A young man laudably anxious to enter public life, has to pitch upon his district, and take steps to recommend himself to the electors there. He has to get himself known and, if possible, respected. In spite of what the advocates of the Hare system may try to make out, the average elector will, as a rule, refuse to vote for a man he knows little or nothing of. Nor, in practice, will a stranger coming into an electorate a month or two before the polling stand a chance against a well-known candidate. This is not only natural, but right. For why should it be a piece of stupidity to buy a “ pig in a poke” in ordinary business, and yet a wise thing to do in politics ?