The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1855.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 311, 2 October 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1855.

Representation Reform, both as regards the General Assembly and the Provincial Council is, beyond doubt one of the primary questions of the day ; yetj strange to say, in both the above legislative bodies, the question has been dealt with more in a partyspirited manner than the broad liberal spirit we might have expected to have seen. In the General Assembly a Southern Ministry, as we have already taken occasion to show, has, under the guise of reform of the representation, added to its own already preponderating influence, as if they would drive the Northern Provinces, from sheer injustice to separate from those they represent. And } as Mr Ormond well remarked in our own Council, the measure for the province was founded upon the same model. It raises the number of members in the Council from fifteen to eighteen, and increases the number of districts from eight to eleven. There is no additional member for Napier Town, but the three additional members are distributed among or allotted to the country districts ; —one to the Northern division, including Mohaka and Wairoa; —one to the Middle or country districts, and one the Southern dis tricts. No sound basis is taken for the distribution, it is not even pretended that the Northern portion has either a population or an electoral roll to justify the addition made to its representation, but it is supposed or believed that it will or is likely to have one or the other by and by, and this provision is made to meet t ..e contingency. It is not denied that the town has already that population, and proportion of voters that entitles it to an increase; but as it returns members in opposition to the ruling clique, it is not to be allowed to have its full complement, lest the great squatting interest should : be too much weakened thereby. No valid reason bas been or can be given why the town should not have an additional member. Its population bas increased and is increasing. Although this is a point somewhat irrelevant to the question, it is one tbat is put forward as an argument for the increase in the Moliaka district, what is more to the purpose, is

the state of the electoral roll which, as shewn by Mr Buchanan, is by the Constitution Act made the sole element in the determination of the representation of the various districts into which the province is divided. The franchise may, or may not, include all the population that it should do, there is doubtless room for reform, but while the law is as it is, it should be faithfully observed. The remedy lies in reforming the law and not in departing from it.