H.—l9

1890. NEW ZEALAND.

COMMISSIONERS UNDER THE REPRESENTATION ACTS (REPORT OF THE).

Presented to the House of Representatives in pursuance of the Pro visions of " The Representation Act, 1887."

REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED UNDER THE RE PRESENTATION ACTS. Sin,-- Wellington, 28th April, 1890. I have the honour to enclose herewith the report of the Eepresentation Commission, for His Excellency the Governor. I have, &c, T. M. Haultain, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Chairman.

To His Excellency the Eight Honourable William Hillier, Earl of Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Salop; Viscount Cranley, of Cranley in the County of Surrey ; Baron Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Salop, and of West Clandon in the County of Surrey; Baron Cranley, of Imbercourt; Baronet; Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George; Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and Vice-Admiral of the same. May it please youu Excellency,— We, the undersigned, appointed by a Commission bearing date the Bth day of June, 1887, under the hand of the Governor, and sealed with the seal of the colony, for the purposes of "The Eepresentation Act, 1887," and convened by His Excellency on the 4th day of March, 1890, to carry out the provisions of sections 3 and 4 of the aforesaid Act as altered by " The Eepresentation Acts Amendment Act, 1887," do respectfully submit for your Excellency's consideration our report, as follows:— The report of the Eegistrar-General of the results of the census taken in 1886 shows that the total population of the colony was 578,482. Deducting from this 216,602, being the number contained in thirty-one boroughs and one town district each containing over 2,000 inhabitants, together with the men on board ship and the residents of the Chatham Islands, we have a country population of 361,880. Adding 28 per cent, or 101,326 to these, we find that the total nominal population of the colony for the purpose of the Eepresentation Acts is 679,808, which, divided by 70, the number of members, gives a quota of 9,711. , In rural districts this quota represents an actual population of 7,587. The maximum number to be included in any electoral district is 10,451 nominal or 8,172 actual population ; the minimum numbers are 8,961 and 7,002 respectively. In the city electoral districts the quota is 29,133 of actual population. The maximum is 29,233, and the minimum 29,033. In mixed districts the actual population representing the quota, and the maximum and minimum, vary according to the relative numbers of borough and rural inhabitants. Wo have had some difficulty in determining whether the Chatham Islands shall be included in an electoral district. We find that up to the present time the inhabitants have not been entered on any roll of electors, and that they have never made any remonstrance or objection to this exclusion ; and we have been advised that section 3 of " The Eepresentation Act, 1887," does not provide that the people of these islands must necessarily be included in the apportionment of the representation of the people in the House of Eepresentatives. In the absence, therefore, of any expression of opinion from the inhabitants themselves, who might if directly represented in Parliament be deprived of certain immunities they now enjoy, and following the precedent laid down by the Legislature in "The Eepresentation Act, 1881," which omits all mention of the Chatham Islands, we have not included them in any electoral district. Having prepared our scheme for the rearrangement of the electorates, the proposed boundaries were published in the Government Gazette of the 20th day of March, and we gave notice that objections in writing would be received up to the 21st day of April, and on that day we reassembled and found that various communications, affecting fifteen districts, had been forwarded. Several of these we. have been able wholly or partially to comply with, whilst in other cases we have found it impossible to make the suggested alterations, for, although quite reasonable in so far as the particular