Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1886.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1881, 16 June 1886, Page 2

Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1886.

The approximate results of the last census give tbe total population of the Colony at 573,480, as against 482,019 in 1881, or an increase of 91,461 in five years. The number of males in the Colony is 308,016, fomaleß 265,464. The Maoris are not included in the these returns, but, from a return presented to the House the other day, we gather that the Maori population is about 41 332. These numbers added to the numbers for the European population give a total population for the Colony of 614,812. From tho returns at present under notice we learn that the . population of the North Island is 247,404 as against 191,169 in 1881, or an increase of 56,235 in the five years. In 1881 the population of the South Island was 290,850 ; the population is no>v 326,076, an increase of 35,226. If will be seen from these tigrurts that the increase of population has been considerably larger in the North Island than in the South. On tbe present representation basis the North Island is entitled to three additional members and the South Island has three too many ; in other words, the North Island should be represented by thirty-nine members and the Sou h Is nd by fifty‘two. Taranaki it the only province overrepresented in the North. In the South, Canterbury is over-repre-sented by nearly two memhers, and Otago by nearly half a member. Nelson is over-represented by something over half a member, and Marlborough andWtstland by something under. Auckland, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay require another member each to give them fair representation. In the North Island the number of electors on the roll, on 3lst March last, was 53,503 ; in the South Island 77,320, or a total for thp Colony of 130,823. There are 4,366 Chinese in the Colony, nearly all of whom reside on the West Coast <>f the South Island and in the Goldfield districts of Otago. Coming to our own district, we find the following resultß have been obtained :

From these figures it will be seen that the population of the electoral district of Picton has decreased since 1881 to the extent of 190 souls; whilst, on the other band, in the electoral district of Wairau the population has increased by over fifteen hundred souls. It will also be seen that the electoral district of Wairau has the largest population, and the largest number of electors of any of the Kelson or Marlboronah electors tea. Cheviot, our ntighbor to the South, has a population something over W .irau. The figures are Cheviot: Population 6,110 to our 6,081 j Electoral Roll— Cheviot, 1,748 to our 1,386, N

Thb re u!t of the election for a Director to the Got'ernment Insurance Association Board has in no way been a surprise- The return of Mr Shannon was a foregone conclusion. We cannot, however, co - gratulate Mr Shannon on the p Bitkin he has attained, for alt hough he has beaten Mr Graham, whom we consider a much better, man f>r the position, he ho ds by no means a representative s-at. There are twenty-three thousand policy-holders in the Association, and out of this number only four thousand six hun dred and twenty-seven recorded their votes. Mr Shannon, there! ire, represents a very large minority. On the other hand Mr Graham actually polled ninety-four more votes than he polled a year ago. This proves thattho e policy-holders who value their vot ng privi ege have in no seme 'ost confidence in that gentleman. The policy holders, as we pointed out in a fornvr article would be the cise, are in no better position than they were before. Mr Shannon is again a number of the Board, and whilst Mr Graham has been rejected the Government h eve nominated another gentleman for a seat on the All the fuss and scandal raised by Messrs Fisher and Shannon has therefore availed them nothing, and has bad the single effect of doing the Association incalculable harm. As we before pointed out, it is Parliament and not the policy-holdors with whom rest the reconstruction of the Board.

It is a misfortune that it lias become necessary to wind up our Liter try and and Debating Society. Our opinion some months ago was that a Parliamentary Union would find much better support and create much more interest and enthusiasm tliin tbe old-fashioned Debating Club. We hope that even yet an eff, r t may be made to inaugurate a local Parliament. The fol owing remarks from the Argus may encourage some of

our budding politicians, and incite them to action : Melbourne, literary, philosophical aod debating societies’ Have the same difficulties and the’ same" apathy to contend with. Plenty of people will join and subscribe. The problem is how to keep up llie interest and persuade members to attend. As far as debating societies are concerned, one of the most remarkable developments of modern tim-n in Great Britain lias been the invention and rapid growth of parliamentary debating societies. The oldest of these has existed in Liverpool for more than twenty years, and now every fair-siz d town in England and Scotland has its •• House of Com-rons.” They have completely taken the place of the old-fash-ioned sleepy debating societies, and it is found that the fun of having a Speaker in lie chairisormtimt-s with a rod wig), of forming Ministries, and voting on divisions, rives genuine and permanent interest to these affairs. Several members of the pr-seut Houso of Commons have graduated iu these mimic Parliaments.”

Electoral Districts Total Population Census, 1886. Chinese. ; Population, Census, 1881. Number of Electors on Roll, 31st March, 1886. Males. Females. Total. Pieros 1,901 1,594 ' 3,495 2 3,685 895 Nelson 3,529 3,746 7,275 14 6,720 1,080 Motueka 2,S27 2,472 5,299 .. 4,264 1,268 WaIMEA 2,633 2,413 5,046 .. 4,903 1.102 Waif.au 3,399 2,6S2 6,081 G 4,535 1,385