H.—29c

MIDDLE ISLAND. EEPOET. To His Excellency the Right Honourable Uehter John Mark, Earl of Ranfurly, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please Your Excellency,— We, the members of the Middle Island Representation Commisssion appointed by Your Excellency, have the honour to report that we sat on the Bth instant to consider objections relating to the reapportionment of the thirty-four Middle Island electoral districts and their boundaries. Thirty-eight objections and suggestions were received and duly considered and dealt with by the Commissioners in the manner set forth in the attached schedule, and the Commission finally approved and confirmed the apportionment and boundaries of the electoral districts, and now respectfully submit for Your Excellency's consideration the names and descriptions of the same, together with the actual and nominal populations respectively agreeing with the totals as allotted by the Joint Commission. Given under our hands and seals, this eleventh day of August, one thousand nine hundred and two. Thos. S. Weston, Chairman. N. Y. A. Wales. Thos. Humphries. D. Barron. G. J. Roberts.

SCHEDULE OF OBJECTIONS.

19

tj~ Electoral ""■ District. Objections or Suggestions. Name and Address of j Objector or Writer. ' Date. Decision of Commission. 1 Mount Ida From the electors south of the Waitaki River, objecting to be placed in the new Mount Ida Electorate From the Kurow electors, objecting to be placed in the electorate of new Oamaru, and asking that, in the event of the Commission not placing them in the old Waitaki Electorate, they be included in the new Mount Ida Electorate From the Kurow people, strongly objecting to the alteration of the Waitaki boundaries and to their inclusion in either Oamaru or Mount Ida, but stating that, if they cannot be restored to Waitaki, they prefer inclusion with Mount Ida rather than Oamaru ; they suggest that by making the Maerewhenua River the boundary of Waitaki Electorate satisfaction would be given From the residents south of Waitaki and east of the Kakanui Range as far as Kurow, objecting to being placed in the new Mount Ida Electorate for the following reasons : (1) That they are practically disfranchised ; (2) that they are entirely out off by the dividing range from the main portion of the proposed new district; (3) that their interests as a farming community are in the direction of the sea-coast, and not in the interior; (4) that they desire to be placed in with other agricultural electors From the residents in the Kurow and Otiake, objecting to be included in the Oamaru Electorate, and stating that, if the Commissioners cannot restore them to the old Waitaki Electorate, they would prefer to remain in the Mount Ida Electorate From the settlers between the Waianakarua River and the Kakanui, strongly objecting to be placed in the Oamaru Electorate A request on behalf of the electors to restore Kakanui, Herbert, and Maheno to Waikouaiti Electorate H. A. Dovey, Borton's Siding, via Oamaru Walter Sutherland, sheep-farmer, Kurow, and 13 others 1902. July 31.. 2 Aug. 2.. Waitaki .. Major W. Steward, M.H.R., Waitaki 5.. u H. A. Dovey, farmer, Kokoako, and 509 others Impracticable. T. H. Munro, Kurow, and 64 others Aug. 9.. Waikouaiti Thomas C. Harrison, Kakanui, and 76 others T.Mackenzie, M.H.R. 1.. Lgreed to. 4..