THE MANAWATU ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 99, 6 August 1880, Page 2

THE MANAWATU ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

•- At the County Counoil meeting on Monday, Mr *r*"anson moved, " That the Chairman, on behalf of the Manawatu County, call the attention of the Government to the great disparity -•fAi<#-ex'i^*-n iptbe; repre , sen tit ion bf the various eleoto'ral districts ii. Parliamejit,aß evidenced hy the fact that several'-distriets with a ' roll 'of f rora'-8019 t<") 140* electors hare two representatives; while the.i^anhwatn County; with an"elec r torate of over 2000, has only one ; that the Council strongly urge "the Government to in iljek. p^siau-iv'p the n^w^ll*t4a»iribytipp { jf* Seats' Bill for giving" this County a second member, and also protests against the subdivision of tbis electoral distriot." He

made a lengthy speeoh in support of the motion, in whioh he instituted a coraparisoq^pf the representation of Mauawatu, as 00-aftnfti with other d-stricts, in which Jfe ah^H|f^lanawatU had 2.041 electors. >Jg| secopdedidiy Mx^intH? &* *ifo.;Kebbe^»s VN iw ' •* *&&* n»at ' the diatriet of ©had-^fjio to be joined on to tie VyltJllfii'ito/ Coudtjf District, and strongly protewea 'against any fauoh ohange, as the West G£mßt hstt.no interest in com mon" with the districjtj&fwas proposed to jptp itjp. ■'.'.• .',--'-. V 'vSti '-V *■■'.' '■'" - i *■" The Chaifmhn slid it was proposed to out off Otaki on oue 6*dej and Halcombe on the other. ("Mr Sanson — It is proposed to tako Sandon, part of Carnarvon, and Halcombe] The County of Eangitikei had only 761 electors, and was in population below the k-eOOO required by-*- the basis of population. | It was therefore not enti r .led,to a member. I^oy-Moubt ;-Baqgititi& WouM and prop^ I itself up by obtaininga section of Manawatu, L&Uf Aim J*!**"- a.aojiUUlf'*ttr.c.QUrße. „... |. Mr . Lash, as a resident of Halcombe, j would thosf strongly protest against any proposal to out off that district from Manawfitu." If this CCfinty wasumproving, let thjera derive tjie tKisjefit of going ahead. He hoped meetings would be hell all over the "•Oountjr to protest - -agaiosfc t the " projjo'j-ed ' jsufyttfvision of thi Gpunt/. ;"; * 2 •**;''* The Chairmniu isaid there had been ay great lack"of interest in this matter on the part of the member; for -this district. Mr Johnston' ought to have communicated with the Counoil over this ar.d othor matters. f N'o'-**§Bveu his greatest friend could say Mr f Johnston took much interest in the distriot, though he (the Chairman) did not pro'ess '"td^lbi'f one of his admirers. He would point '^u&iJ'Mt the Hutt and Wellington Country D.istri-^'^toaether only made two-jthird*-*- of the- Manayftitu electorate He understood it was jA*opi'Be^. to take away a member from either the; Wellington Country or Hutt, ihd/give a "third to Wellington City, If Rangitikei waa\too small to be entitled toa meir'^er, itjjhould be divided between Eangitikei and'ManawutiL MV^ock^tiow Aidorsed the Chairman's 'reniprki fega-fdieg tho lack of interest ,sh6\y'n )>y Mr Johnston in the district. He had igriored the Council altogether. He refHrred tojhis absence from the recent de- , DUtation 'to ' the Government on the West Coast Railway, as proving bis inattention to the wants of tho district. M-r Sanson, in replying,statpd.that, whilst Manawatu had 2,041 (whiohnaa since the return was made increased to about 2,250), ""Wellington, with only -2,978 ' electors, "was agitating for a third member*. Ther6 were about 1000 electors to each member, aud on this basis Manawatu was fully entitled to two members. The motion was carried unanimously.