The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1878

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1370, 6 July 1878, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 6, 1878

In former articles, wo liavo endeavoured to lay down tlio principle that tho basis of tho ro-distributiou of seats should bo that of tho registered electors. It will bo seen that were such a plan adopted, tho effect would be that eacii portion of the colony would bo represented in exact proportion to the interests at stake. Tho system would also tend to induce doctors to place their names on the roll, knowing that if they neglected to do so, tho district would suffer. It must be understood, however, that in advocating this scheme, wo are taking for granted that all can have a vote who are entitled to it. Wore the right of voting confined to a small minority of the population, it would perhaps bo different. In that case, those privileged few might bo looked up as exercising a trust on behalf of tho rest of tho population, and tho number of members should in that case depend on the population. But, in those days of liberal franchises, such a state of things is impossible. In New Zealand, at any rate, wo are promised a Reform Bill, which will admit to the franchise every inhabitant who, in tho opinion of our advanced liberals, is entitled to a vote. They do not profess to regard their measure as only a step in tho right direction. The majority of Liberals regard manhood suffrage as their final resting place. When that is once obtained, they do not intend to go on urging a further extension of tho suffrage to, say, children. Some, it is true, would like to see women included. Well, that does not affect our contention, which is that the proper basis of tho re-distribution of seats is the electoral roll—that portion of the community which has a political existence. To make it depend on population is to admit that manhood suffrage does not go far enough, and that every man, woman, and child should have a A’oico in the determination of the political relationships of the colony. If children are practically to have a voice in fixing the number of representatives for a district it would bo difficult to show why they should not have a voice also in the return of individual members.

But so long as the present system of del ermning the number of representatives for each district exists, it is immaterial what theory is hold. The redistribution, wo are afraid, will lie determined on a very much less satisfactory basis than that of population even. One portion of the colony will combine with another, in order to secure their special interests, and the distribution of seats will depend on the struggle of parties. What is wanted is a law which shall lift such questions above faction tights. It is bad enough to have the nature of our laws dependent upon the result of party warfare, but it is a thousand times more dangerous to place it in the power of an unscrupulous section of the house to combine for the purpose of depriving the rest of the colony of its just share in the representation. Any measure which would put an end to such a danger should be welcomed by all parties. We can freely advocate the passing of such a law without laying ourselves open to the charge of seeking to introduce a system which would tend to advance the interests of one political party at the expense of the other. The most advanced Liberal in the city is as much interested in securing the full representation of the district in the House as the most Conservative. Our proposal is that a selfadjusting scheme should be adopted which, ■when once put into working order, would never require again to bo interfered with. The plan is not a novel one, for it has been advocated years ago in this colony, without however, we are sorry to say, receiving the attention which it deserved. In the hope that some one, in a position to command attention, will take the subject up again, we propose to sketch out the plan briefly. The first thing to do would bo to settle, upon some rational principle, the boundaries of the various electoral districts. The object to bo aimed at shoidd of course bo to render unnecessary the constant changes which tend to destroy" community of interests. This difficulty being got over, the scheme under notice, laid down the following principle “ that the number of which the House of Representatives is to consist being settled, and the districts permanently adopted, the number of the numbers for each district shall have the same ratio to the whole number of the House, as thoj’number on the electoral roll for that district boars to the whole electors of the colony.” The writer from which we have quoted then goes on to point out that, according to this rule, there would be one member to a fixed number of electors, and several districts would bo found to bo entitled to only a portion of a member. This, lie considers, would be an evil, as some of the outlying districts would thus bo unrepresented. Ho, therefore, proposes to modify the rule quoted above by another as follows: —“ That any district entitled to only a portion of a member should, notwithstanding, have one member, and any district entitled to more than one member, and loss than two, or more than two, and loss than three, and so op, should have the number of members indicated by the whole number, omitting fractious.” The effect of these two rules wo have quoted would bo that every district considered by the Legislature entitled to representation would at least have one member, but could never have its representation increased til! the electors on the roll showed that they were entitled to it. The practical effect of such a plan would bo that the representation of the colony would adjust itself, without the intervention of Parliament. If one district advanced ahead of the rest of the colony, at the next general election it would return additional members, and those which had fallen behind would proportionately suffer in the House, All this would happen without the intervention of Parliament at all, and so all danger of injury being done to particular portions by unholy alliances between other districts would be averted. But wo must reserve for a future article the full discussion of the practical details of the scheme,