The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1887. THE REDISTRIBUTION OF SEATS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1593, 25 June 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1887. THE REDISTRIBUTION OF SEATS.

Although we shall have to wait for the issue of the " Gazette " defining the boundaries of the new electorates to learn exactly how far we are legally affected, yet if we may rely upon the information supplied to the " Lyttelton, Times," by its Wellington correspondent, and repuhlished by us m our issue of yesterday, it is evident that the work j>f the Commission is nearly completed arTd thaTas one of its7resmts~ wilHtave to be counted the disappearance of the electorate of Wakanui, *or rather of its name. For a large part of the electorate hitherto known by that name will doubtless be included m the new electorate of Rangitata, the balance of which will be made up from that of Geraldine as at present constituted. The remainder of Wakanui will, it is to be presumed, be added on to Ashburton. As there is no probability whatever of a contest for the latter seat, Mr Walker will have added to his care a thousand or two of additional constituents, and as he is exceedingly popular all parties will doubtless be well satisfied with th? arrangement. The merger of Wakanui, or -what remains of it after taking off the slice added to Ashburton, with part of the old Geraldine d'strict, and the formation thereby of " the new electorate of Rangitata, will upset the plans of several candidates who are either now wooing the electors or were understood to be about to do so ; and should Messrs Ivess annd Purnell, as the candidates mentioned for this part of the new district, enter the field for Rangitata they will, we conclude, have to meet Mr Rolleston and Mr Twomey who are already out for the Geraldine portion, unless either or both of the latter choose to take the Meld for Gladstone which will now include the southern part of Geraldine, against Messrs Rhodes and Kerr, who have already declared themselves for that seat, The changes made m the Lyttleton, Akaroa, and Stanmore districts were unavoidable, and that made m regard to Waimate was not unexpected. The Oamaru electorate, being below the quota, had to take something from Waitaki, and will doubtless get that portion of Mr Duncan's present district which lies South of the White Stone City, thus necessitating an addition to .Waitaki m its turn. That addition would naturally be the portion of the Waimate district lying south of the Waihao river, and cx 1 ending up the Waitaki river into the valley of the Hakateramea, which territory owing to its relations with the port of Oamaru is already a part of the Oaroaru Harbor Board rating district. Losing thus m the south, Waimate has again m its turn to take m territory to the northward, and thus trenches upon Gladstone, which again encroaches upon Geraldine. On the whole the Commissioners .seem to have managed, the difficult duty intrusted to them as well as the hard-and-fast lines of the Act permitted, but for all that it will doubtless be some little tim? before people become entirely reconciled to the changes made.