ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 298, 10 September 1920, Page 8

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

AND THE COUNTRY QUOTA

MR. M'CALLUM'S PROPOSAL

Tlie existing law provides that the hofmdaries of electoral districts shnll be adjusted periodically on a population basis. Tho principle,' underlying (lie law is that electorates shall be of equal atreflgth, subject to a 28 per cent, 'quota in favour of country electorates', but the electoral commissioners aro allowed a margin of 550 electors in order that they may give consideration to community of interest and geographical _ boundaries. Mr. E. M'Callum (Wairau) introduced in the House of Representatives a Legislature Amendment Bill proposing to increase this margin to 5000. The Bill was reported from the Statutes Revision Committee with an amendment substituting 1250 for 5000,' :#id it. gave rise to o brief discussion in Ifce House Mr. M'Callum suggested that the margin allowed tho electoral commissioners in the adjustment of boundaries on tho population basis should be increased to IfOO. lie said that this increase was necessary in order that due consideration might be given to geographical considerations and community of interest 1 . Tho efforts of tho commissioners to adjust boundaries under present conditions produced some extraordinary anomalies, and inflicted injustice on constituencies as well as members. Ho suggested also that tho number of electorates in the South Island should not bo further reduced, and that any necessary adjustments in the. future should be mado by increasing the number of North Island electorates, and so adding to the strength of tho House. Tho present limit of eighty members need not be regarded as a fixture. Mr. E. P. Hudson (Motueka) complained that there was absolutely no community of interest between the eastern and western portions of his own electorate. He suggested that the boundariesof electorates should be "fixed once and for all. regardless of population." This suggestion drew a protest .from Mr. M'Com'bs (Lytlelton), who said that iy electoral system was inequitable already, and would bo much worse if tho margin allowed the commissioners were increased. The 2 : J per cent, quota allowed the country districts meant -litpractice that 13,000 country people had the same voting power as 17,.100 town pcoplo. Equality of representation was one of the principles of democracy, and Mr M'Callum was making about the most reactionary proposal that had been before the House in tlio hist iwonty Dr. Newman (Wellington East) said that tho dobate reminded him of the .fi«ht in tho House twenty years ago, when the country people tneil tn get an advantage of 50 per cent, on vntins power.. The democratic members fought ihat proposal for a week and eventually compromised on tho 28 per cent, now allowed the country districts. Ho hnd always felt that the quota was an iniquitous handicap on one section of the voters. The Speaker, on on appeal from Mr. Reed (Bay of Islands) ruled that discussion of the country quota wa3 out of order, sinco tho subject was not mentioned in the Bill. _ , 1 Dr. Newman said lus point was simply that an incrense cf tho margin, on top of tho country quota, would mean that city and town people would be oven moro disfranchised than they wero at PI Tho Bill was 6et. down for committal.

1 VALUATION. OF LAND THE SOLDIERS' DIFFICULTIES. The difficulty experienced by a returned soldier ,in -regard to the valuation of property fjiat ho ■ wished to purchase through tho Government was mentioned in the House of Keprosontiitivos yesterday afternoon by Mr. J. A. Nash (R>lmerston). - The man in question, said Mr. Nash, applied for a property in Auckland and paid a valuation fee. Ho did not receive a grant. He then moved to Hastings and was told thoro that he would not bo called upon to pay another fee. When, however, he lat'er moved to Wellington and applied for a grant ho was told that ho would have to pay another fee. This, suggested Mr. Nash, was rather a hardship, and he asked whether the Minister would give tho soldier the right • to have valuations /made on tho payment of only one fee. A second-question was whether the Minister would consider tho matter of the valuation feo charged in the. purchase of houses. Under the advances to workers system tho purchaser had to pay only 10s. Gd. up to JCSOO, while the soldier was called upon to pay two guineas. The Minister of Lands, Hon. D. H. Guthrie, said that,as a general rule if tho soldier paid a valuation fee he was not called upon to pay again. 11l the case quoted thero were unusual circumstances in that the man had moved irom one district to another and had come wider a different board. The prico charged to tho soldier was duo partly to the fact that tho Government often called in a second valuer in the ease of a grant to a soldier whero the advance was made lip to t'ilie full value of the property. In cases whero the advance was only a portion of the value thero was not the same reason for eare over the valuation. THE PRICEIF TIMBER COMBINATION ALLEGED. \ movement to control tno sale of limber was alleged in a question which Mr J. A. Nash (Paliiierston) asked ilie Pr 'mo' Minister in the House of Kepieeontatives yesterday afternoon. Mr. Nash said that a statement was current that three peoplo were controlling tho pu'rehnso of timber, including much that was being bought for the purpose of erecting builldings for the Government. This state nf affairs was detrimental to other peoplo. wishing w build houses. The sale of timber generally should be placed under the Board of Trade. H« reason for making the suggestion 1 was llia/J ho know for a fact that a premium was being placed on the sale of timber in large quantities above the lfeti price. Mr. Massey said he was very sorry that there was nnv suggestion of a combine to keep up the price of timber, If anything of the kind was go ng on steps should he taken to sxip it and to punish those responsible, With regard tins suggestion that Hie Board of Trade should take over the control of the whole of the umber trado he had no doubt that tho prest'dent would take the question into consideration.

The Legislative Council yesterdav received from the Lower the Coroners' Amendment Bill, and rend it a first time. The land and Income Tax (Annual) Bill was put through the final etases, and passed.