The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1865.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 317, 23 October 1865, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times. NAPIER, MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1865.

A radical reform in the system of representation in the legislative bodies of the Colony is most urgently required, and we were not without hope that something would be done by the lata Ministry in the way of an attempt at least to effect some such reform ; but, as in several other respects, we have been very greatly disappointed,—the only tiling done by them being an augmentation of the number of members returned by the South of the Colony to the House of Renre-

sentatives. This, however, is by no means what is required,—the whole system of representation being at the present time essentially

vicious. It is nut to be amended or materially improved by any alteration in the number of members returned, or by any re-distribution of tiie representation. The present system is substantially the same in relation to both •the General and Provincial Governments, and

is briefly this : The country is divided iuto districts, of greater or less extent, containing a greater or less population, some portion of whom possess the franchise, and return to the Council from one to any given number of representatives. The size and boundaries or each district being purely of an arbitrary character, as also is each of the other elements of the scheme,—although there is presumed to be some relation between the number of registered electors in any district, and tbe number of members returned to council by such district.—-Such a system must of sheer necessity prove unjust, unequal, and eminently pernicious ; because—First: -—The members of Council are not the representatives of the body politic, but merely and simply the representatives of the petty districts by which they are returned ; and

bonce arises jealousies, bickerings, party feeling, will* 'many other evils ; ami it frequently, occurs, that the representatives. of minor districts are fnrep.fl to work with a Ipossibly) corrupt Government in order to

obtain bare justice to their constituents. Second ;—lt is unequal, from the fact of certain districts returning a plurality of members, while ot her districts return bat one, winch thus guts a certa’n proportion of the electors a preponderating degree of power over others. Third :—lt is unjust, as well as unequal, as it permits certain individuals to exercise the suffrage in more than one—or even, it may be, in every district in the province or colony,—thus giving the power of controlling the elections into the hands of a few, who may bo disposed to exercise their power, to the manifest prejudice of the bulk of the electoral body. Fourth;—lt is pernicious, because the public good is lost sight of by many or most of the representatives returned, this being postponed to the supposed interests of that particular district for which they are returned, as indeed it is expected to be by each separate constituency. Tho first step, then, necessary in the reform of the representative system appears to bo the abolition of the arhitary division of the colony (or provinces) into districts; and let each representative ho returned by the whole electoral body,—not as the representatives of an interest, a class, or district, —but of the whole colony (or province as the case may be.) We have already in existence a model of the true system of representation in the case of the superintendents of the original provinces, who, so far as is, possible, do truly represent the electoral body by which they are returned ; because every elector in the province has one vote, and one only in their election. This, the principal reform effected, most if not all others necessary follow of course ; in fact it contains or implies them in itself. At one stroke it does away with all local jealousies—all causes fur complaint, of unfairness in the distribution of the representation. It will also render possible a great reduction in the number of legislators—the exercise of much economy in the legislative and executive brandies of the government. We hope, therefore, that from the change evidently at hand, we shall see educed a reformed system of representation, based upon the principle of unitv —both in the Colonial and Provincial affairs.