THE ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 149, 16 August 1911, Page 6

THE ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

SOME FURTHER POINTS. Haying gained on© seat, the North island Will return 42 members to the Hbuse of Representatives at the general election in December and the South Island will gleet 34. The quota which formed the basis of the Commission’s calculations was 15,180. The actual population of the North Island was 563,729, comprising 278,216 urban and 285,513 suburban, and for its purpose the Commission calculated the nominal population at 643,673. In the case of the South Island the urban population was 210,499 and the rural 233,978, a total of 444,477, from which the nominal population was determined at 509,991. It. is apparent from these figures that the North Island ‘is actually entitled to a fracreceived, while the South island has, been given rather more than its due share of representation. The frac-r t'ional surplus exceeded one-half in' the' case of the South Island, so thafthe allocation of seats has enabled the North Island to repay the “loan” for which it. has been indebted to the South Island since the boundaries uere revised in 1906. The “Dominion” refers to the. Taranaki seats as under : “The alterations to the four Taranaki constituencies are not extensive, and are not expected to affect, the political fortunes of the sitting members, who are all adherents of the Reform party. Mr Pearce is considered to lie a little prejudiced by the inclusion of Castlccliff in Patea. .Mr Hine (Stratford) loses Jngbwocd, which goes into Mr Ok.;,’;; constituenr;;. This change had been prophesied !,•;.• the Ministerialists at Fttht-fard.' Mr Ilipe, however, gains in the country from Eginoni and Pntea. Ilia tis now a large one, and will necessitate a lot. of arduous travelling in the election campaign. By the inclusion of Inglewood, Mr OJcey’s seat has been made safer than ever.” LICENSING CHANGES. The “New Zealand Times” considers that equally important with the changed conditions for politicians is the alteration in licensing boundaries. Masterton changes do not involve licenses, but an extension of the AVcllington Suburbs seat up the. west coast toPlimmarton will result in two hotels —one at Pahautanui and the other at Porirua—being included in a no-license area. Their licenses will disappear next time unless the Suburbs seat alters its attitude on the question. It is stated that, the Grosvonor Hotel aiid Star and Gaiter Hotel, which were included in the establishments closed by no-license being carried in Wellington South, are now in Wellington Central, but there is no statutory machinery by which their licenses can come again into operation. The big changes consequent on Taieri’s disappearance result in two hotels going out of the old Tuapcka electorate into Oamaru, which is a no-license area. The Mataur.a no-iicenso electorate has “wet” boundaries, but it has not extended them, and no hotels will lie affected; Bruce, however, will embrace Beaumont and Waipori, and hotel? at both places will bo closed. The Clntha boundaries will not affect any hotels, hut the encroachment of Oarnam' Into what was formerly Tuapeka will close two hotels at Mcßae’s and, it is believed, a third to the south. In the North Island Ohinemuri, a no-license area, has been extended to take in Te Aroba, and the hotels there will be closed. THE ELECTORAL MAP. We are indebted to Mr J. B. Hine, M.P., for an early copy of the now map. showing the boundaries of the tllectoral Districts as proposed by the North Island Representation Commission, The map may be seen at the Eveilihg fco&t” office. •