BOUNDARIES ADJUSTMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 14, 1 September 1911, Page 2

BOUNDARIES ADJUSTMENT.

THE HISTORICAL TAIERI SEAT. Speaking recently at Mosgiel, in rejly to a big deputation which waited upon him to protest against the extinction of the Taieri seat, the Hon. T. Mackenzie said he was not going to overlook the difficulties that the ommissioners had had to contend with a adjusting the electoral boundaries in the south. One member had to so, and one seat had to disappear. !t was suggested almost as soon as che work was begun that the Taieri must go; why that suggestion was made was beyond Ids comprehension, but suggestions were often made from a desire to see them effeetd. A member of Parliament or a chairman ol ■>, county council must not under any ircumctanccs approach a boundary ommissionary. The destinies of Ministers and interests of localities were -o bo determined in a “star chamber” without advice, and practically without. any appeal. He was asked if there was a set design on the part of the Boundary Commissioners to drive him from public life. The public was as well qualified to answer that .question as he was. Waihemo went, vVaikouaiti was swept out, and Taieri had been drawn and quartered. What was obviously right had been ignored, and what was ridiculous had been placed in the forefront. Mr Allen made it appear that political influence was being used to the detriment of the Opposition, but let any person, study the map of Otago and say which side in politics had come out on top The Opposition seats of Clutha, Bruce, Wakatipu and Tuapeka had been maintained and strengthened. In the Government seats of Taieri, Chalmers and Oamaru, what, was not destroyed had been mutilated beyond recognition and usefulness. Were the situation not so serious in its effects, what Gilbertian humour could be'applied! Regarding the question of adjustment of the South Island seats, immediately the statistics of this year’s census were published he had obtained maps of the electoral boundaries of 1906, and, assisted by one of the ablest actuaries, worked out the probabilities and possibilities of the proposed alterations. One seat in Otago-t-and that was Tuapeka—was obviously most seriously jeopardised. The constituencies surrounding it were deficient in population, while the constituency itself had receded in population so as to be the lowest in New •Zealand. Moreover, it was a seat absolutely destitute of any community of interest. The Taieri, on the other hand, which those who wished to destroy either it or himself were continually suggesting as the one which should be taken out, was not, in the light of the statistics obtained, justified in.being cut out. He worked out possible alterations. There were two alternatives: the one involved the retention of Tuapeka, the other its disappearance. To retain Tuapeka it was necessary to extend her boundaries to include and form what the Lawrence people asked for—namely, a goldfields constituency, which would have taken in Lawreifce, Waipori, Waitahuna, Weatherstones, and other goldfields districts, leaving for a new seat such portions of the plains of Taieri and the lands extending as far as the present southern boundary of Bruce. That would have secured community of interest and rational boundaries, and could have been carried out with a due regard to the other adjustments which the seat required in the districts affected. Upon the general question of redistribution of seats, the speaker said that four years ago he perfected a scheme which would have avoided what had occurred, and presented it to Sir Joseph Ward - . He agreed to consider it with a view to putting it through if a majority of the House co-uld be got to support it, and if Mr Massey would give his vote in favour. They secured tli- promise of 53 out of 80 members to support it, Mr Massey, however, could not see his way to vote for it, and as no question was more difficult to adjust than that of representation, the idea was allowed to drop. Those readjustments, together with the taking of the census, did not cost one penny loss than £IO,OOO. The system must be changed because the country was sick and tired of the whole business. Community of interest was destroyed and proper representation rendered impossible. Taieri as they knew was the oldest constituency in Otago. As a boy- of four years of ago ho remembered Taieri and its farmers. Around the Taieri and intermingled with her history was associated all that was best in connection with the early development of Otago. Taieri was and had been the agricultural birth-place of New Zealand. He was proud to be associated with such a constituency, and personally he could not tell them how deeply he regretted the severance between himself and that district, which appeared to be inevitable.