ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 July 1946, Page 8

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

-Press Association

REPORT TABLED IN HOUSE COMMUNITY OF INTEREST HAD TO SUFFER

By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, Julv i. The coiiunission was uuable, owing 10 t-Jie restriction imposed by ihe lihntci. allowau.ee of ,1(1.0, to adequately respei i coiiiniuiuties of interest. This >vas pai ticularly evident in cases of electorai distficts on tlie West Coast of th.e SontJ,' Island and tlie boundary between liawke/s Bav and Gisborne electorai districts wliere objections were baseu on grounds tliat were just and reason able. This statement was made by tlie Iiep resentation Cominission in a report oi . its Avork tabled in tlie Ilous.e oi llepresentati\es this afternoou. Tlu Cominission reported that the civiliaj. population of the Dominion 011 tln night of the census last September, was: — North Island fi(i(3,7J7, Soutl. Island ,').I0,7(>5; total 1,101, .112. Adult members of ' the forces in New Zealarip oii the night of the census were: — North Island 9430, South Island 214-7, total 11,,13(). There were also 143Ipersons away from their nonnal placi of residence, complying with the man power obligations. The number iri th forces outside New Zealand totallee 40,0:11. The figures were exclusive o. Waoris in each ease. The adult popula tions of Stewart and Chatham Island. were included in tlie adult population of the South Lsland. The Coiiunission then proceeded tidetermine the number of electorai dis tricts in each island in propovtion ti the adult population of each island. A. the residential location ' of the mem bers of the forces both inside and oul side New Zealand was unknown, tln numbers concerned were distributed on a pr.o-rate liasis for each island, while persons affected by ehange of residence under the manpower regulations wer allocated to each island. This gave tln total population for electorai purposein each island as: North Island 700,477, South Island 3(58,072; total 1,0(59,149. There being 7(5 electorales, tlie an portionment of the population for eacl' island sliowed tlie division of electora flistricts to be represented by tlnfigures 49.79 for the North Island and 2(5.21 for tlie South Island. Tlie.se figures, reduc^nl to the nearest whole number, gave tlie North Jsland o() and tlie South Island 2(5. The Conunissibn then deterniined tln' adult ])o[>ulation quota for the electorai districts in each island which were North Island 14,010 and South Island 14,180. The allowance for an adjust nient of this quota in each electora1 district wliere ihe districts cannot !>» formed consistently with coiisidwations of cominuiijty af interest, facilities of coiiimuuicat ion, to]iograpliicn 1 features and exisling electorai bonndaries, is by way of au addition to or substraction from the quota not to exceed a total of 500 of the adult population. The Poinnjission tlien procetuled te divide tlie Dominion into 7(5 electorai districts having due regard to com inunity of interest, to facilities of com iuunicalion and to to]iograpliical fea tures, and wliere not inconsistent witf tlie above considerat ions, to the exist ing electorai bonndaries. The homai aries having been provisionally de terniined, maps were prepared illustrai ing the proposed electorai districts an-' puhlished. When the Cominission re nssenibled it had 123. objections to dea with. A schedule aeeompanying tln report listed tliese objections and thei, outcome. The Cominission reported that as a result of its visit to the South Islam' a number of changes in tluq boundarie of electorai districts there wen effeoted.

The Cominission also appended to its report a description of tlie licensing districts wliere these do not coincidc with the electorai districts. Tlie notic of tlie Cominission was also drawn ti certain anomalies in the d-efinition o licensing districts, particularlv in re gard to city licensing districts which according to the restrictions of the Licensing Amendment Act, 1910, ini pose (listiuct limitations on the area--iacfpnnis.tered by; $ ci'ty .licoUsing com iikfrtecy '■ : " . 4 s * Y'-' " The 'Commission reeommended tliar attention be given to tlie following matters: — Eirstlv, inereasing the toleranee allowed above or below the quota from tlie present figure of 500 to 71 per cont of tlie quota in order tliat better con sideration may be given eommunity of interests. Secondlv, the elTeet of the non..inclusion of licensed premises in tli • Remuera licensing district, which mav preelude racing clulis within the district from obtaining conditional licenses for race meetings. Thirdlv, the efTei't of the ehange of boundaries of the Invercargill electorai district which may preelude tlie Inver eargiM Licensing Trust from having jurisdiction over licensed premises now in course of erection at .South Invercargill.