ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 225, 16 June 1908, Page 7

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

PREMIER'S SUGGESTION CRITICISED. (BT TELEGRAPH— SrECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.) J Auckland, Juno 15. ' A; correspondent writing to the "Herald" regarding electoral boundaries says:— To !he ; minds of thinking men, especially of the Liberal party, the statement by the Primo Minister exhibits the essence 6f party weakness. Tho Prime Minister should bs abovo these sort of tricks, and if ho wants to stand well with the electors ho must not stoop to such, practices. Why does Sir Joseph Ward act in this way? Is it because Jio is afraid that he is going to lose seats in the South by tho readjustment of electoral boundaries which were fixed by tho Electoral Boundaries Commission ? Is the responsibility to be put on the Opposition party for the purpose of- stirring up strife and discontent with the electors in tho.South Island? If Sir Joseph's scheme .was brought into the Houso ho could carry it easily, for ® lias over sixty members who will go into the lobby as against less than twenty on tho Opposition benches.. Why,-then, does ho say, ...I .am "prepared to give .the North Island six new soats. if the leader of the Opposition will .not object to allow the South Island to remain", as it is?" The answer is not far away.- Self interest, party- interest, political power, party and political control, and an assurance that a South Island Ministry can and would continue to reign. If Sir Joseph Ward s notion was carried out the boundaries would have to be adjusted again, and the work done last year would be wasted so far as the North Island is concerned. The maps and rolls now printed would be useless. A reshulElo of electoral and- a wasto of a largo sum of public money would be the Tcsult, ar.d tho general elections Would haveto- be for three or four months. va- i » ls about one of the worst political escapades I have come across vet and-is quite unworthy of a statesman, professing to lead a democratic country. The Worth Island cannot help population flowing into it any more than the Soutli Island can bo _blamed for population drifting out of it and if tho .-Ward Government want to carry out the Prime Minister's suggestion, the Opposition party as at present constituted in the House cannot prevent them, but what the Premier aims at is to make the Opposition party the scapegoat or cat's paw to pull his chestnuts out of the fire. '