The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2029, 6 July 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1875.

The feeling at the meeting last night to adopt a petition to the Colonial Parliament for increased rex^resentation was unanimous. It could scarcely have been otherwise, as any person who values his political privileges must admit that the Thames has been persistently, if not wilfully ignored in adjusting the representation of electorates in the Assembly. Here is a district with 30C0 names on the electoral roll returning one member to Parliament. And this injustice has extended over a course of years, during which the representation of the country has beetr altered more than once. So glaring and so manifestly unjust has the case of the Thames been, that independent members have referred to it as an exceptional instance which demanded redress. The arguments against altering the representation have been of a utilitarian character. The Government have said that it is not advisable to disturb the representation merely to meet exceptional cases like the Thames, especially as it is a

goldmining district, liable to fluctuations in the population —and that all goldfields communities are liable to fluctuations cannot be denied. Consequently Government influences have generally overruled any propositions advanced for placing this district on a more equitable footing with regard to representation. These arguments will scarcely avail now. The district has acquired a permanency equal to that of older and more settled districts. Mining has passed the probationary stage peculiar to all goldfields workings, and it is now a settled and permanent branch of the great industries of the Colony. The population is no longer, a migratory one, but it is daily increasing as new discoveries are made; and if the Assembly fail to recognise our claims to representation on the same basis as other portions of the Colony, they will be doing an injustice to the community, and to the important interests which it should be.the duty of representatives to conserve. _ . -

It will be remembered that when the Hauralri Goldfield was first opened the Thames formed part of the Electoral District of Franldyn, and at the election of a member,for that district, the Thames washable io return its own member by a very large majority ; thus practically disfranchising the electors of Franklyn. Mr W. T. Swan was then the chosen of the Thames. At the next adjuttment of the representation, the Thames was created a separate district, with tha privilege of returning one member. -Mr • Charles O'Neill was then returned,:"and since that time, although the goldfield has given continuous evidencesof its permanency and stability, itsclaimstoaddi'tionalrepresentation have been studiously ignored,? We are now, with a population of nearly 13,000 souls, as shown by the la?t census, and an electoral roll comprising 3000 names, represented;by 'one member; while there are districts - with' far less claims to representation as regards importance, wealth, population, number of, electors, and 7 colonial interests, possessing three and four members in the House of Representatives, besides nominees in the Council or Upper House. If this is fair, or just, or equitable, we certainly are at a loss to discern what the basis of representation is founded upon. It is not just; but it is flagrantly unjust and grievously wrong.

We are; Dot conscious of any argument that can be considered necessary to prove that the request for an increased representation is anything but reasonable. The Thames proper has sustained for years past a population of some 12,000 people, and the character of its'great industry has been gradually assuming a more permanent form. Further, we might say, that the mining industry is being 'gradually but surely extended—our population increasing. It is only necessary to point to Ohinemuri and Tairua to prove this. If probabilities be taken into account, we could say that there is more likelihood of the population being increased than there is of its decreasing. But taking any special feature of our position-t----whether wealth, number of electors, or general contributions to the colonial revenue*, or e^npop^lation,iwe assert that there is not a member of tEe present parliament who will have the temerity to say that we are not fairly entitled to at least ja fourfold increase in our present representation; Atpresentminingisalmostouronly' industry, but it possesses guarantees of permanency. Then we hare large timber resources which are being steadily deM yelbped"?; >ansd before |png we hpfte to see inducements'held out'to the settlement of an agricultural population. As we progress there will be developed new industries,, but taking, .the .present.population and electoral irbll,^ we can say confidently that the prayer of the petition for increased representation nought to be favorably entertained, and graciously acceded to as an act of tardy justice, to a district which has long labored under: the disadvantage of practical disfranchisement. The people of :the Thames are unanimous in this point; there are many members of the Assembly who have long since conceded it; and if the Government fail to recognise the justice of our claims, so much the worse for them in any general election after justice' has been done; for it will assuredly operate unfavorably to any party that refuses to admit the.claims of the llauraki District in the matter of additibrial.me'mbers.

It has-been suggested, that the interests of the Thames might be promoted during the next ie'ssion of Pa^iament by sending down to Wellington a person of knowledge and discretion to keep the wants of this district before members dutside the House. ' This means neither more nor less than to institute a system of lobbying, ; which",- if liiseful or expedient' in, the case of the Thames, might be adopted with equal advantage by a dozen other electoral districts which may have some pet scheme to advance in the Assembly. We have nabesitafionin sayingthat the principle is. mischievous and of no practical utility.; We offered no objection to its being carried out during last session,'but we are fain to confess that ,the results achieved were by no means commensurate with the expectations raised, ror the expense incurred in sending down a representative to push forward the Thames interests. Moreover, if the principle were to be generally acted upon, the abuses of the American system of "lobbying" would soon develope themselves in our legislative assembly to an extent which would operate most prejudicially on the progress of the work of the session. Even if we could bring ourselves to admit the necessity or advisability of such a course being adopted, we fail to see where a gentleman could be found in our midst possessing the necessary qualifications for such a very delicate business. He

would require to have considerable knowledge of parliamentary business, an acquaintance with the leading men of the House of .Representatives, and the full confidence of the people of the district. Then, to be useful, he would have to be accredited with a very large amount of discretionary authority. He should possess :tact to a degree; and he ought certainly to be on friendly, if not intimate terms with some members of the Government. If he lacked any of these qualifications the representative would be powerless for good. This being the case, we are at a loss to indicate any person who would combine in his own ?. person these recommendations; and if we did, then we should still have doubts of the success of such a mission. What cannot be obtained for the district by some member in the House, it will be impossible for any person to get by the most perfect system of lobbying.