GIANT ELECTORATE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 172, 7 August 1937, Page 6

GIANT ELECTORATE

Mr Bodkin's Vast Inland Territory In a corridor of Parliament Buildings large maps of New Zealand depicting the proposed new eJectoral -..boundaries were' displayed when both par'ties in' the House of -Representatives hel'd . meetings, : Groups of members spent much time examining the new. developments and exchanging friendly chaff over the political coiisequences which may follow. . Mr W. A. Bodkin, member ..toi- Central Otago, received congratiilations .on' the new frontage to the sea on the east side wliieli tliis ' ihimense inlanrl electol'ate has achieved. True, it is only a few miies neaf the Tajeri mouth; a kind of political corridor which is not. likely to cause so much friction as somo internationaj corridors which have beeii evolved in rec-ent years. • Central Otago is the giant electorate of New Zealand It runs right across the South Island at its broadest part, and has ahvays had a sea frontage in Milford Sound. Now, however, the western sea access

has gone to Wallace, the constituency of the Leader of the Opposition, . the Hon., A. Hamilton, who is said to have a comfortable group of votes in. Riverton, and will now have to cultivate Queenstown, as it has been taken out of Mr Bodkin's area, together wit.li Glenorchy," Garston and Kingston. Central Otago is so mountainous that travel is difficult for political candidates. Mr Bodkin explained that the railway takes him into the heart of the area, 1*30 miles, to Alexandra, but. the electorate goes a long way fartber than that. In his last campaign ' he frequently started the day at nine o'clock and 'kept going till 11 p.m., because it is necessary to go down long valleys" and up others just to cross the high mountains which - boundary "commissioners only view on maps. To cover the area eompletely -in a campaign means 4000 miles of travel. Une consoJatjon for the Central Otago member is that, although he loses a compact groiip of constituents at Queenstown, he can now campaign on the easy country oi the Taieri Plain, and traverse the outslrirts of Qunedin City, for the new boundaries of his seat touch Dunedin North and Dunedin South. He b.as eight electorates on his borders, ranging from. Southland to. Canterbury, and formerly represented seven borouglis, but the recent changes tiave thrown two oi thern into adjoinmg electorates.