The Globe. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1343, 4 June 1878, Page 2

The Globe. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1878.

We have on various oecasious lately urged the many advantages which would result to the colony were the principle of the Representation of Minorities recognised in our electoral laws. But notwithstanding the attention which the question is receiving at the hands of many of the journals of the colony, there is little hope of such a radical change being adopted during the approaching session. Ministers have made no reference to it, and wo eau hardly think that the Hon. Mr. Ballance would have passed it over in silence in his address at Marten, had Ministers any intention of introducing the principle. It is true, of course, that he omitted to refer in any way to the subject of the re-distribution of seats. However useful therefore it may bo to discuss abstract questions, it is more important, in view of tiro near approach of the meeting of the Assembly, to confine our attention to the practical one of obtaining a fair adjustment

of representation according to districts. Taking for granted, tlion, that the present system of returning so many members for each electoral district is to bo retained, the next point to bo considered is, on what principle is a re-distribution to bo made. Is it to bo on population or on that of the registered electors ? Nearly all who have carefully studied the question have come to the conclusion that the basis must bo registered electors. The reasons for such a conclusion are obvious enough. If the power of voting is placed within the roach of all who are entitled to the privilege, it is plain that to distribute the seats on any other basis would bo to give voters in one district greater privileges than those in another. For example, one particular district in the colony might have a largo number of aliens, who had no interest at stake in the country, and therefore had no right to bo represented in the House, But if in calculating the number of members the district was to have they were included, they would practically influence the legislation by increasing the power of the particular locality in the Representative Chamber. Nor would it bo fair to make the distribution on the basis of the number of people in each district who are entitled to vote ; it must bo on the actual number of registered electors. Those who are so indifferent to their rights and privileges as not to go to the trouble of placing their names on the roll need not bo considered. Besides the system will bo sure to have the effect of causing those who take an interest in public affairs to put themselves to more trouble than they have hitherto done to got people to register. The next question is, should a redistribution of seats bo made during the coming session. Unless a self-adjusting law is passed, wo cannot see how it can, if the priciplo wo have laid down is accepted. The Reform Bill of the Government is intended to give every man a vote who is, in their opinion, entitled to it, and until all those have had an opportunity of registering, it would be most unfair to re-arrange the representation on the basis of the present electoral rolls. Of course if some self-adjusting machinery were provided, the case would be different. Wo have already, in former articles, suggested such a measure, and we hope that some such plan may before long bo considered by our legislators. But if it is only the intention of the Government to bring in a Bill to amend the present representation of the colony, wo contend that it should be postponed until the rolls under the new franchise measure have been made up. Of course it may be intended to make population the basis, and so much might bo gathered from the Premier’s speeches. But the colony has by this time discovered that his colleagues pay but small regard to anything he has uttered. That a re-distribution must soon take place is generally ackuovvl edged. An examination of the population statistics proves this most conclusively ; and although wo reject population as the basis of re-distribution, an examination of the returns may give us a rough idea of the present inequalities. Wo find that in February last there were 230,898 males in the colony. Dividing this by the number of members of the House of Representatives, 84, we find that each member, on an average, represents 2784 males. If we turn to the table published by us on Saturday we find that in Auckland eleven electoral districts were over - represented, and four only were in the opposite position. But even those four had but little to complain of. Marsden had one member for 2951, Newton one for 3350. Even the Thames, which together with the rest of Auckland we have been told again and again has been so badly used, had one member for 3418 males. The city of Wellington is in a far worse position than any Auckland constituency, as it has only one member for every 4927 males, and the city of Christchurch is very little better, having one member for 4221 males. In the Canterbury provincial district, leaving out Cheviot, which belongs almost entirely to Nelson, wo find that eight districts aVc unrjor-represented, and four over-represented. In ptago and Southland, ten districts are pudorand eight over-represented. Jt will thus be seen that, if we take the male population of the colony as a test, the people of Auckland and Otago have no grounds whatever for the assertion they have been making, that they are to a great extent disfranchised in the He use of Representatives. If any district in tpo colony has a right to complain, it is Canterbury.