Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1917. NEW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 8 October 1917, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1917. NEW ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

THE new electoral boundaries as fixed by the Representation Commissioners will doubtless call forth a good deal of opposition from the localities affected. But the matter has to be viewed from a national point of view. The more rapid growth of the North Island ' has necessitated an adjustment in the number #>f seats held by each island. In 1886 the North Island had 30 seats, and the South Island 40; in 1896 the North Island had 34 and the South Island 38; in 1906 the North Island had 41 and the South Island 35. And now the proportion of the population is such that the North Island has been awarded 45 seats and the South Island left with 31. It is interesting to Recall that the first task of. the Representation Commissioners is the determination of the electoral/ "quota." They hold a Joint sitting £o fix it and then work separately in making the district boundaries. The übran population comprises the inhabitants of the four cities within five miles of -the'chief post offices, and of all municipal areas with populations of oyer 2000. The remainder of the population is rural, and for the purposes of Parliamentary representation is increased by the country "quota" of 28 per cent. When the gross nominal population thus arrived at is divided by 76,, the number of European constituencies, the Commissioners have found the electoral quota, and upon this basis the representation of the two islands is determined. In 1906 the "quota" was 13,400,- in 1911 it was 15,180.; and by the census of 1916 it would be about 16,000. After their deliberations the Representation Commissioners have decided that three seats have to be taken from the South Island and given to the North Island. This is inevitable. Between 1906 and 1911 the population of the North Island increased bv 87,000 and the South Island by 32,000-.. As a result the North Island gained a member and the South Island lost one. As a matter of fact the North Island was on .those figures entitled to nearly two members, but the -previous adjustment gave it the benefit of a fraction. and the new ' revision enabled the balance to be restored. And the increase of the Dominion's population as shown bv the last census was nearly 82,000. Of this total the North Island contributed 78 000 audi the South Island only 37CW. It is this growth in the North Island that has brought about the necessity for the present .chanire. As to the actual adjustments made there will of course be" differences of opinion. The positron so far as Motueka is concerned is indeed extraordinary. Here is a f'.onstituency whose population, has slightly increased since 1911, being . wiped out to maintain constituencies of Builer Grew and Westland, where has been a decline in population in each instance. The Nelson constituency is made more compact by the change, but the tacking on to Wairau of the Upper Motueka and Wangapeka Vallevs is unfortunate. Community of interest is further destroyed by the new arrangements. Seeing that the Motuokn, electorate has increased in population and that the progressive county of M"vcbison has community of interest with Nelson, surelv it would have been better to keep the Motueka seat in existonce with "the exception ol.wvtain nf the areas near Westport jvhere the community of interest is the other way. In the Legislature Act the procedure is that the Commissions' proposals are published in the Gazette. Then opportunity is given for the lodging and consideration of objections. The revised renorts are given the force of law by proclamation and come, into effect upon th» exnirv of Parliament. Before de--finite objection is raised one requires to know how adjustments could be made on the West Coast, for obviously rom a national point of view il the disadvantages there are greater than tho.e here the present proposals will have to stand But there will'have to be verv solid difficulties in the way to outweigh objections to the present proposals so far as this district is concerned Ihe objections generally .raised to ings of the Representation ComnH. sicLrs are in the nature °rviolations of the principle of. "community of invest." There is definite community of interest in the area, formed by th* French P?,ss, Nelson. Muvchison Countv. I.n- ---! per and/Lower Motueka. and Takaka and Collingwood. and adjacent # areas, and this area taken as a .whole is entitled to representation in Parliament, by two members. Murchwon would not care to be divorced from the «<ui who has so well represented it,m Parliament for so long, but apart from this personal element we believe the ronnlv' would have little objection to ioiniiie the Motue*- -' 'orate. It is for Murchison residents to* express their views on.the matter.