THE READJUSTMEN OF REPRESENTATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 92, 19 July 1881, Page 2

THE READJUSTMEN OF REPRESENTATION.

In reply to a. telegram sent him askiug whether the information published in the Manawatu Herald as to the projected dismemberment of Man- ] awatu was correct, Sir William Fox has contributed the following letter to the Rangitikei Advooate : — "Iv reply to your telegram iv reference to the electoral dUmefs sai<l to have be ■<> determined on by Government as regard llangitikei and Manawdt'i, the Herald's telegram is not correct. Xo map has yel been issued. The Governim-nfc has come t> no decision, and the whole subject h.i yet to be considered ia Cibinut. The Governmtnt has been very cur- ful to keep the matter prvate till they shall have come to c inclusions about it ; but some proposal* have leaked out. I have been allowed to see the plans, anil sub : tantiullj the bound iries su jested by the c ii«;f surveyor are as you state ; but he lm worked merely on population basis, and the bdiindari&i at pres ut indicate 1 are open to further consideration. "The changes iv the present boundaries a3 now suggested are :—-(l) To include the land between the Rangitikei River and the Oroua as far southward as the town of Halcombe (excluded) in the Rangitikei district. Thi« would also attach Kiwitea to Rangitikei. (2) Manawatu would contain the land between the Oroua and the summit of the Ruahine Ran^e, including the towns wf P.Uinerston, FeiMing, Sansou, aud Aahurst. (3) Wellington Country District to be extended north of the Manawatu River, taking in Foxton and Carnarvon (to mouth of the Rangitikei). I append a rough tracing. "The proposal of the Government as regards population basis I unders'ood to be, for banm^h^, 6 SJO souls ; for country districts, 5.000. Of conrse boroughs notlarie enough to h;ive members of tlieir own are included in che country diarric^s iv which they are, aud go to make up timir population. "'The population of the above districts as at present proposed would be: R-in.'i'ikei, including Halcombe country and Kiwitea, 5,181 ; Mtraawatu, including Sanson, F«i!d< '

ing, and Palmerston, 5,317; Wellington Country District, including Foxton "and Carnarvon, 4,427. The three in the aggregate Would be entitled to three members, and no more. If taken separately under old boundaries, Rangitikei and Wellington Country Diatriot would both be under number, and Manawatu not have enough for two members by about 1,200. " Except, therefore, in the view of local sympathies and interests, nothiug is either gained or lost by the changes proposed. But as regardß community of interests it would, perhaps, be better to lot Manawatu district; retain Halcombe country and Kiwitea, and hand over Siuson and surroundings to Ringitikei. I should be glad to hear from my ovvn constituents what caro their views in the matter, aud shall be obliged if either through your paper or otherwise you can obtaia an expression of their opinion for my guidance.— Yours, etc., " WIIiMAM Fox. 11 Wellington, July 13, 18S1." 1 It will be noticed that Sir William Fox's letter exactly bears out our telegram, the only difference being that the onus of tho matter in thrown on the chief surveyor. Wo regret that we have nofc fuller data at hand upon which to deal with this subject, but we fail to see that the disineuibonnant of this electorate is fclie only way out of the difficulty. What wo would suggest is thab the boundaries of the Wellington City electora es should be extended so far as to include' K irori in the To Aro constituency. Kilb.vnio and Newfcown in Cook, and Kaiwaiva in Thorndon. This would leave Johusonvillo, Mikara, Porirua, and Pahauafcanni to be added on to the Hutt constituency, which is at present about. 1400shoit of the standard for one member ; the population in thu districts mentioned would raiso tho Hutt constituency to the proper standard, besides which it should be remembered^ they are all in the HIM Count;/, saving them a community of interest. Wo hold that as far as possible boundaries of electoral districts should be -jotermiuous with existing political boundaries, and we therefore consider t-hot to tack either Halcombe or Saadon on to R.angicikei, or J?oxton .and Carnarvon on to Wellington Country, will really disfranchise' them. Our political interests are our local ones. We send men to Parliament to watch legislation and taxation as they effect ourselves aud the political institutions under which we are governed. Consequently a man elected by the Rangitikei people will watch their in crests, not those of Sandon or Halcombe, and in cases where tbere is a collision of interests (and there are frequently such as between neighbouring counties) will throw his weight in favour of the people amongst whom he lives, and who are the strongest. These remarks apply not .so much to the in fluence of a member in the House as out of it. It is outside the House that members can do most good for their constituents, in securing the redressing of wrongs aud in obtaining a recognition of the just demands of tneir constituencies. The fact thai, a member lives amongst hiconstituents, that his prosperity is bound up with theirs, and that he is under exactly the same local goveruncnts as affect them is the very besi guarantee that ho will do his duty by them. These considerations lead us to support most strongly the maintenance of the Muiawatu electorate iii its entirety, simply because the present electoral boundaries are corermiuous, or almost so, with th ■ county boundaries, tho only excop tion being that the southern boundary is pushed south from Waikanao fco Paikakariki, this course being iDanifestly adopted to facilitate the voting of Wellington electors at thai place. With reference to the suggestion we have thrown out that Wellington should include Karori, Kaiwarra, and other adjacent districts, we think it will be admitted those places are really suburbs of the Empire City, mid would have their wants perhaps better attended to il jomod to the City constituencies than if left as portions of the Wellington Country electorate. If this scheme were adopted, and Wellington' Country and Hutt were amalgamated, Manawatu could receive what its rapid growth, its present prosperous state, and its pro nising future entitle it to — two me'nW-3