Manawatu Hearald. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1879. READJUSTMENT ON REPRESENTATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 26, 21 November 1879, Page 2

Manawatu Hearald. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1879. READJUSTMENT ON REPRESENTATION.

We regret to hear that the Government are likely to shelve the readjustment of representation question. Should they do so, public confidence will be materially weakened in them. When they took office, they professed to accept the Liberal policy, of which one of the cardinal features was the readjustment of the " representation. They promised the same thing to the Auckland Four, when they joined the Government party, and gave the latter a working majority. Now, we hear a rumour from Wellington that it is proposed to adopt a temporary remedy for the present unequal adjustment, by creating ten new seats, and giving increased representation to those districts at present underrepresented. This tinkering policy will not suit the country, which expects a readjustment. That there are some districts overrepresoated at present, cannot be

doubled — districts whose growth is almost nil, whose population is insignificant, and who should be joined on to some large constituency. These " pocket boroughs " the country desires to see abolished, and that abolition we consider one of the most important elements of the readjustment question. It is simply disgraceful that Totara, Cheviot, Collingwood, or Onehunga should enjoy the same legislative rights as Manawatu or Coleridge.

It is currently reported that should the Government proposal of two additional members be accepted, one seat only will fall to the share of the Wellington Provincial District. The competitors for this seat would probably be Wellington City and Maiiawatu. The claims of Wellington, however, are so palpable, and the influence it can bring to bear upon the House is so powerful, that we fear the right of this district would be completely ignored. In fact, a rumour reaches us that to equalise the representation of the West Coast constituencies, it is proposed to take* the Sandon district from Manawatu and add it on to Eangitikei. Such a course would be unjust, as the interests of the Sandon settlers are completely identified with Manawatu, and especially with the southern portion of tho County. The port of Foxton is the natural and only outlet for Sandon produce. It is also the channel through which that district receives almost its whole imports. To sever i^ from Manawatu would therefore be to decapitate it, politically speaking. We sincerely trust our member will fight against any such proposal, as any such compromise would have the effect of destroying the chances Manawatu possesses of obtaining a second member.

This matter of the representation is, next to the prosecution of the Wellington-Foxton line of railway, the most important that our representative has to consider and force upon the Government, and we trust Mr Johnston will in plain terms assure tho Govornrnent that this constituency will regard with disfavour any neglect in that direction.