WELLINGTON’S REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1737, 6 October 1917, Page 2

WELLINGTON’S REPRESENTATION IN PARLIAMENT.

MR J. ANSTEY, M.P. for Waitaki, made a good point in the House on Thursday in reference to parliamentary representation. After the Premier had notified the House that the Boundary Commissioners had cut out three South Island constituencies, and three additional seats were to bo given to the North Island, Mr Anstcy asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the gross over-representation of Wellington in Parliament, and the ease with which Wellington residents could present their views to the House, a privilege of which they often took advantage, would the Government consider the redistribution of Wellington’s representation in Parliament, so that its over-repre-sentation could lie transferred to those districts which, owing to their unwieldy size and remoteness were not fully represented in Parliament. The hon. member pointed out that there were at least six resident Wellington members of Parliament, and at least ten Ministers lived in the city practically the whole of the year, and eighty members of Parliament had to reside there from three to live months in the year. He believed that if there were no direct Wellington representative at all in the House the city \vould still be largely over-represented. If his suggestion were adopted, the Government would only bo following the precedent of the. United Stales of America, where the city of Washington had no Parliamentary representation at all. He asked the Premier whether oilier districts should not have an opportunity to equalise matters in the way lie suggested. The Premier promised to consider the proposal.