ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1920, Page 1

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

DISCUSSED IN HOUSE.

QUESTION OF' COUNTRY QUOTA

(Our Parliamentary Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, September 9.

The exisitrig law provides that the boundaries of electoral districts shall be adjusted periodically on a population basis. The principle underlying the law is that electorates shall be of equal strength, subject to a 28 per cent quota in favout of country electorates, but the ElecM-al Commissioners are allowed a margin of 550 electors, in order that they may give consideration to •community of interest and geographical -.boundaries. Mr R. MeCallivm (Wairau) introduced in the House of Representatives, a •Legislative Amendment Bill providing to increase this margin to 5,000. The -Bill was reported from the Statute* Revision Committee with an amendment ■substituting 1,250 for 5,000, and .t gave rise to a brief discussion in the H< mT Mc'Callum (WairaU) suggested that -the margin allowed the Electoral Commissioners in the -adjustment of boundaries on the population basis should bO increased to 1,500 He said that this increase was necessary in oi'der that due consideration might ; be -given to geographical considerations and community -Of interest. The-3 -. ■forts of the Commissioners to. adjust, boundaries under the present conditions produced some extraordinary anomalies and inflicted injustice on constituencies, as well as members He suggested also that-the numbers of the electorates in the Smith Islan ° should not he- "further reduced, and that any ■ntressai-y -adjustments in. Hie future ■-should he -made by increasing.the nnm-, her of North Island electorates and so adding to the, strength .of the House rpiic present limit of eighty membßis need mot he -regarded -as a fixture . • Mr Hudson (Motueka) complained,, that there was absolutely no community of interest between the -eastern and western portions of /his own electorate He suggested that th'e boundaries of ilXate ■ Ao„H *• 'fef . «»» and for 'all regardless of P°f latlon - ' This suggestion drew -a protest from Mr McCombs -(Lyttelton) who said that the electoral system was -inequitable already arid -would -be much worse if the margin alldwed the 'Commissioners -were increased. The -28 per cent quota -allowed the Country - district's meant-in practice that 13;000-county people Tad the same votnig -power -at 16,50° people. Equality of representation was one of the principles mf democracy, and Mr McCalltim was making about die most reactionary proposal that had J been before the House in the dnst twenI Dr Newman (Wellington East) said that the debate reminded him of theI fight in the House twenty years ago, when the country people tried to g an advantage of 50 per cent on voting power 1 . The democratic membeis louglit that proposal-for a week -and ■eventually a compromise: was made with the 28 per cent mow allotted t e country districts. . We had always felt that the quo a -was an iniquitous attack on one section of the'voters. . . ~ Tlie Speaker on an appeal from

Reed (Bay of Islands), ruled that the discussion of the country quota was out of order, since the subject was not mentioned in the Rill. Di* Newman said his point was simply an increase of the margin on top of the country quota would mean that eit/ and town people would fee even moo* disfranchised thari they were at present. The Bill was set down for committal.