The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1885.

Kumara Times, Issue 2739, 2 July 1885, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1885.

Wfi are at a loss to understand the advantages to be gained to the residents of this district by Mr Seddon’s proposal to amalgamate the Hokitika and Ivumara elecloiates, of which lie has given notice in the House j and hope that he will, as ho stated in the House last week, “ be guided by the wishes of his constituents in the matter.’ The notice comes up >n us suddenly, and a plea in just ideation can only be sat isfied, if it cm be then, by the new policy bills which the Grovermn-mt propose to adopt. These we have not y<*' had an opportunity of perusing. Meantime, upon this subject our morning contemporary the West Coast Times remarks : There are reasons why electorates in large centres ot population should be amalgamated. The proposal now before Parliament to amalgamate the electorates of Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington seems quite appropriate from a democratic point of view at least. A superior class of representatives is likely to lie the result of the change. Only men of exceptional calibre can hope to be returned, accidents apart, as representatives of a large city, if the Ministerial Dill becomes law. But we are not so certain that it would be advisable to amalgamate the electoral districts of Hokitika and Kaimara, as Mr Seddon proposes. In all conscience each of them is large enough. A candidate seeking to represent the two districts rolled into one, would have possibly to travel from Knmara to Jackson’s Bay, and the returning officer would have to superintend about forty polling booths. The expense and physical labor of contesting a sexton the West (’oast are very great. By a fiction, of couise, a candidate is not supposed to spend any money, but

until the electors whose sweet voices are wooed consent to pay candidates’ traveling expenses—elastic terra—one fails to see how a really poor man has a chance to be returned. The West Coast electorates seem to us to be large enough already, and they are certainly more difficult to convass than populous and confined constituencies such as Dunedin and Wellington. We are curious to see Mr Seddon’s reasons for proposing the change he is now advocating. It will be remembered that the Hall Government introduced the system of single electorates in large towns, and that at the same time, they deprived the Totara district of a representative. Before that change took place, the Knmara and Hokitika districts were amalgamated, and there were two representatives for the country between the Hokitika and Teremakan rivers. The district was then felt to be inconveniently large by candidates, but it would be far worse to add the Totara to it, as Mr Seddon proposes. If his proposition be to return to the old order of matters electoral, and give Totara a representative of its own, there would be less objection. As it is, the Kmnara and Hokitika electoral districts are quite large enough.