THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3004, 11 October 1911, Page 6

THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION. MR FOWLDS'S PROPOSALS. (From Oue Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 3. ~E or general information Mr G. Fowlds has circulated his "Proportional • Representation and Effective Voting Bill. There, will be no opportunity during the remainder of the session for the discussion of bills promoted by private members, so that the measure will not secure an expression of opinion from the present Parliament.

The bill embodies the well-known principles of proportional representation, and proposes several alterations of the Legislature Act, of which it is described as an amendment. The proposal is that the existing electorates should be grouped in conformity with community of interest and geographical continuity, with three or more members for each electorate, forming 19 districts, the 10 North Island districts returning, 42 members and the nine South Island districts 34.

In a prefatory memorandum to the bill Mr Fowlds suggests that Parliament should decide the number of electorates into which the Dominion should be divided (the minimum number of members for each electorate to be three), and then leave the fixing of the boundaries to a commission. These boundaries, once fixed, should be permanent, or only liable to be altered at long periods when special developments or extensive alterations in the population have taken place. The number of members might be automatically increased when the population of any dfstrict or districts increased to an extent that would be equal to more than half the quota for the whole Dominion. This quota would be arrived at by dividing the total population by the number of members in the expiring Parliament. The boundaries of the permanent electorates should be fixed in such a manner as would make them suitable areas for a complete system- of "sectional government. The larger local governing . bodies within each electoral district ought to have the care and control of all such matters as main roads and the duties now devolving on land boards, education boards, harbour boards, hospital and charitable aid boards, with one electoral roll and one election day in each year, except in the case of parliamentary elections, which it would be desirable" to have on a separate day. The author of the bill adds the opinion that all local elections should be conducted under the system of proportional representation. The following is the manner in which it is proposed the districts _. should be grouped : North Island—North < Auckland —Bay of Islands, Marsden, Kaipara, and Waitemata. four members; Auckland district —Auckland West, Auckland Central, Auckland East, Grey Lynn, Parnell, and Eden, six members; North Waikato— Manakau, Franklin, and Raglan, three

members; South Waikato —Waikato, Taumarunui, and Rangitikei, three members; Northern Goldfields —Thames, Ohinemuri, and Tauranga,, three members; East Coast—Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and Napier, four members; Manawatu—Manawatu, Orou, Palmerston North, and Otaki, four members; Wairarapa—Wairarapa, Masterton, Pahiatua, and Waipawa, four members; Taranaki— Taranaki, Stratford, Egmont, Patea, and Wanganui, live members; Wellington district —Wellington Suburbs and County districts, Wellington North, Wellington Central, Wellington East, Wellington South, and Hutt, six members. South Island.—Nelson —Motueka, Nelson, a.nd Wairau, three members; West Coast—Westland. Grey, and Buljer, three members; Nortft Canterbury—Hurunui, Kaiapoi, and Selwyn, three members; Christchurch district—Avon, Riccarton, Lyttelton, Christchurch East,' . Christchurcly North, and . Christchurch South, six members; South Canterbury—Ellesmere, Ashburton, Temuka, and Timaru, four members; North Otago—Waitaki, Central Otago, and Oamaru, three members ; Dunedin district—Dunedin North, Dunedin West, Dunedin Central, Dunedin South, and Chalmers, five members; South Otago Bruce, Clutha, and Mataura, three members; Southland. — *Wakatipu, Wallace, Awarua, and Invercargill, four members.