CHANGES IN ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 April 1946, Page 8

CHANGES IN ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

-Press .Association

MR. HOLLAND'S VIEWS

Bv Telegrapfi-

CHRISTCHURCH, April 4. "I have not been able to obtain a copy of the hnap showing the new elee toral boundaries, and until I have been able to study the' map and the nevv boundaries, I shall defer making a more or less C'omprehensive statemeut, " saiu the Leader-of the Opposition (Mr. S. G. Ilolland) When interviewed • by the Christchurch Press at Ashburton tlns eveuing. "The alteration to the eleetoral law Was made to save tjie Government from defeat at the coming General Eleetion, a possibility whieh was so strikingly 111 dieated by the bv-eleetions at Hamilton, Awarua, Dunedin North and more re . cently, Raglan," he said. The main effect of the alteration was the replacement of eight country seats by eight town or cit}T seats. The Gov ernnient had felt all along that it ha-.l a better chance of winning new town seats than it had of winning country eleetorates. Hence the boundary alterations. ' ' Whether we like it or not, the fact remains that the foundation of New Zealand 's whole eeonomy is its primary industry, which provides the whole o. our overseas purchasing power, fromj which the raw materials required by oui i manufaeturing industries are paid for,5' {said Mr. Ilolland. "It is vital in a I country like New Zealand that the j primary produeers should be adequately : represented in Parliament to ensuro ! that the legislation does not take on a j liias against the farming industry, fo. | if it htnguishes, then the standard 01 j living of all people in town and countn j will deeline, as sure'ly as night follow.j dav, • " Recently I have been testing oux I public opinion in various parts of New i Zealand, particulaiTy in what weri ! thought to be Labour strongholds — j Auckland, Raglan, Wanganui, Welling | ton and this week, Greymouth — and the ' swing against the Government has been j most marked in every place I have j visited/' Mr. Holland Optimistic ( While he regretted the loss of eigh | primary production seats, especially thi i two from the Soiith Island, Mr. Holland i snid he was bound to say that he felt I very optimistic regarding the outeome ' of the General Eleetion. With the pres ent constitution of Parliament, tiu Xational Party required a swing-ove. « of only live seats to be equal in strengti. with the Government, but there wa> every indication that the Nationai Party would win mueh more than thi.' | minimum. | "One thing is to be regretted, and I that is the wholesale chopping about of { eleetorates and the alterations of tht ! names of constituencies," Mr. Ilolland 'said. "The public has become accus | toin to the "former names of eleetorates 1 and I think it is a pity that over 3i ; eleetorates are to have entirely nev. names, many of whieh h aVe no signili eauce. The old method of designatin.i eity eleetorates as North, East, South West and Central worked quite satis fae.torily, and I can see no advantage i: the changes made. "I feel sure that when the Labon Party has had time to study the likel i effeets of the alterations, it will wish i had not meddled with this. 55 New Zealanders were essentially f fair-minded people and they took a ver poor view of anything of an unfai: nature, sueh as altering the rules 0. eleetoral boundaries in order to eling 1o office, he said. If the Government wa> as popular as it elaimed to be, and its administration had been as success ; ful as it said it had been, then it shoulc have submitted its stewardship to th« electors for decision under the sarn rules and conditions as those unde whieh it had gained oltice, and thei 1 abide by the verdiet of the people.