The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1906. A POSSIBLE DISSOLUTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 13144, 28 November 1906, Page 4

The Timaru Herald WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1906. A POSSIBLE DISSOLUTION.

There would certainly be a curious* po'sifioft. if' there Wei'e "anyV foundation for -the remarks attributed, McNab in Auckland yesterday in ('reference .to the poseir bility of ,an early (dissolution owing, to the. ■work of the Representation Commissioner*. The Kepresetafati6n 'Act requires th«s Com-mis-ioners to". the electoral districts within, three months after the results of a census rhave been ascertained, and acting on this authority; > their duty, in accordance 'with the statistic* of,popu-; lation which were gathered hurt < March,, i» to allot' three addjtional seat* to the Nonth . *nd. reduce : the .number in tine South Island by the same figure* The tai-k of carving up each island into the mimber of electoral districts to which its population ,entitles it, is no doubt a delicatf matter demanding the most scrupulous cam-and consideration on the part of the Representation Oom'tnissioners, but the work has been done satisfactorily .enough in, tW past, and no doubt 'will be <fotafl , in art equally satisfactory manner on ttij« !occswiom s But wha't lends particular interest vt'o the redistribution of seats that in about to take place i-> the discovery laid to'the ■credit of Mr McNab that there is an element of doubt as to Me precise moment when the change begins to .become operative. Common sense would say, as Sir Joseph Ward says, that this should not be until the exiting, Parliament IbM run its course, and this appears to have been the intention of the Legislature a* expre-'sed in the Representation Act of, 1887. Section 6 of that statute enact* that the electoral districts as fixed by the •Commissioners after each census "sMI be the electoral district?" of the colony for the purpose of the election'of members of the House of Representatives after the disso* Iption or expiration of the then exiwting Parliament," It appears from this that iKe position which has now arisen was foreseen when the Representation' Act was being framed, and that it was deliberately laid down that a. parliament should not be affected by any movements of population ascertained from a census taken during its life time. The readjustment of boundaries is to be effected immediately the results ; of, the census have been collated, but the new electorates are to become operative for representation purposes only wfcen'the existing Parliament has beem dissolved or completed its natural course. Tt appears -t ■ u«. therefore, that itiJs yeatV jefiistribvtJin. wVrh is to 'take ffirefli Beat* from the South Island and give Hiem to the North Maud, need only take effect two years hence -when the next general election is due. Mr McNab has drawl* ft picture of three southern members Bitting feloniously in the House wberi, the district* they were elected to represent have been cut out of the electoral map, and an equally realistic picture hi the three new dWrictw in the North Island chmouring hv their representatives who do not exist. T*e trouble in eii.li case seeanv to u" to exist; largely in the Minister's imagination, burit would be rush ,to criticise a Cabinet containing two acute legal intellects which assert that a nice constitutional question is involved in the continuance or dfeßoihtiW* of the Parliament elected last December. If it were not for the Premier's one could not help thinking that the Government had been looking for on cxaisw for a dissolution, and we are not sure that such a development would bo altogether

•a matter ior regret even ii it happened to suit *ife book of the Minister for Lands., It certainly secure for the Land 13 >U a thorough dissection, -which is : sot likely to fall to its lot in present circumstances, even, when ail allowance is made ior the platform campaign which Mr McXab has just inaugurated at Auckland. Oulv a nenenil election -will arouse the public to a keen interest in political questions and in view of the important innovations in principle =rliich- the Land Bill contains, a dissolution and consequent election would have becehcial results. The o-e proposal in the Bill which, seems toj us to require the closest scrutiny is that! provision, iar .the -Kile within ten years -of; ti.e surplus of «estatet : .i exceeding tbe £50,000 limit. "We have seen no adequate defence offered for this proposed eet of piracy, whiGh is none the less imiwaral lv?cause it -will probably meet with the' ajil-U-oval cf 3, considerable section of the coasanumtj". -"Supporters of the Bill «&cu.;e Has proposal en the plea tiat "\if the llinister ca?ed to put the <£ro3fe? of rrie L'nd for SerdemerK: Act into operation, he could acquire any one -of ".the fifty or rixty huge estates (affected is- the £60,000 limit), but as it is, he as only asking that they may bs Teduced ifco an unimproved value of £50,000. TElie difference between the existing- law •a-.d BUI is this—that under *he 'Lama for Settlements Act, tbe hndowner vtfho is dispossessed is guaranteed the full value of ii? land, while Mr Mc-j "Nab proposes to force him to sell for any-j thing *he can get. The Bill Teminde onej •of a J* illy sentence from a speech made; "by Mr G. H. Reid in the present Federal! •election campaign. "If a fellow has some-| thing you haven't got," he.;said, "youj -don't-like to rob h:m, because you might 3*o into Daiiinghurst gaol; Trcrc if you can. pass an Act to make him grre it up, tJiat is a method which i-ss its for - some people. -" Not satisfied srith having .ar. Act to make landowners in New .'Zealand give up their property at its 'full -value. Mr McXab wishes to add another Act to make them sell' cheap,' because he as afraid to push on with the system of "State purchases. We might get 'the 'public to look into points Tike the*e if •there general electron, but unless ?the dissolution eventuates, the present •apathy will probably contiinie.