ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Hokitika Guardian, 31 March 1927, Page 4

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

REVISION TO START. WELLINGTON, March 29. ! The North aud South Island eleetoral boundary commissioners will shortly ho called on to commence their statutoi.v duty of revising electoral boundaries in line with the disclosures of the last census in relation to the distribution of population. This work is usually put in hand within a l'e«' months of the census being completed, hut there has been j a long delay on the present occasion. ! which suggests that the do. j meat had considered the possibility of | getting Parliament to pass legislation ' during the coming session to reel if'- I The difficulty lacing lit" South Island. which is <moo. more to lose at least one constituency owing to the j rapid advance ot the North Island. There are seventy-six European mn--tituomies and their boundaries are i e vised after each r-cn-u-.. with t lie jeel of securing as near a> pos-ib'e equal representation. The 192 L cense sliowed that the North Island Inn. (si. 30 per cent, of the total European population and the South Island Jlo.fil per cent. Recognising that the South Tslaud is likely to lose at k-asi one inns' constituency, which will be transferred to the North, the question was raised last session by Soutli Island members, win) made a proposal that the North Island should be given the representation to which it. is entitled on a population basis, hut that the existing number of South Island seals should he maintained, as their growing size makes them difficult, to represent. The long delay in selling tin the commission for the revision of the boundaries lent colour to the suggestion that the Government favoured giving time to legislate to meet the .situation before (he commission could report, as immediately its recommendations are made

they oncrate .automatically. However, the decision of the Government to pul the boundary revisim in hand suggests that it has not adopt ed any one of the proposed solutions of the Soiiili Island difficulties, bid ilia' the legal process must proceed without legislative interference.

The Government Slatistieian nil 1 provide the commission with detailed particulars as jo the distribution of population, and it is likely it will get to work within the next- fortnight. ILfirst duty will he to settle the quota

for each electorate and the number of seats to be allocated for the respective islands. The boundaries will then he fixed subject to amendment on petilion from the electors concerned in any of the changes.