ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19718, 18 August 1927, Page 10

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

POSITION OF WHAKATANE. COUNTY COUNCIL'S PROTEST. [BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WHAKATANE. Wednesday fhe unsatisfactory way in which this district has been divided by the altera tion of the electoral boundaries and Ihe fact that opportunity was not given the local bodies and others concerned to object to the alterations were very strongly commented upon at yesterday's meeting of the Whakatane County Council. Mr. A. Peebles said the subject concerned the ratepayers very much and it, therefore, came within the province of the council to make a strong protest to the Prime Minister and the member for the district, Mr. F. F. Hockly. The most important part of the district, a long strip right through to Waimana, was made a tail to the Tauranga electorate. When the borough oi Whakatane was put into the Bay of Plenty electorate they did not object, but now the district was sand wiched in between Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty he moved that' letters be for warded to the Prime Minister and Mr. Hockly, emphatically protesting against the new electoral boundaries. The chairman, Mr. W Reid. said it was a question whether the greater community of interest was served by being attached to Tauranga or Rotorua. He was very sorry the district was going to lose Mr. Hockly, but, personally, he thought the district had more community of interest with Tauranga than with, Rotorua. Mr. J. G. Cliff McCulloch mentioned the protest made by the Reform League, which expressed the opinion that this district had more community of interest with" Rotorua than with Tauranga. Mr. J. Pearson seconded tho motion. Mr. H. Greig considered it too lata to protest, as the boundaries had been gazetted. He felt that if there was any community of interest it lay along the coast, and when the railway was opened to Auckland there Would be little interest between this district and Rotorua. Tho resolution was carried unanimously.