ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 181, 2 July 1937, Page 6

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES

Appointed towards the end of April, the Representation Commissions who are charged with the duty of dividing the Dominion into electoral districts will commence their work next week, when they will, meet as a joint commission. They will then sit separately to adjust the electoral boundaries in both islands. The lirst task is to fix the quota and allot the number of seats in each island in accordance with the distribution of population revealed by the census taken last year, the individual commissions will then determine the provisional boundaries. The law requires of the Commissions that they shall within three months after the results of the periodical census have been reported to them by the Crovernment Statistician, who is enjoined to make this report as early as possible, discharge the duty entrusted to them. At the present time the North Island has v white members in the Lower mouse and the South Island 29. The former also has three members representing the Native constituencies and the South Island one; but considerations of population do not apply to them and the Commissions’ work relates only to the 7b seats held by Europeans. The existing representation was based on a population of 891,748 in the -North island and .512,03 bin the South Island. The latest census showed that the process of development continued to be greater in this than in the South Island, the respective totals being 938,953 and 552,755. It has been contended that on these figures the north must gain two seats at the expense of the southern district, giving a representation of 49 as against 27 South Island members. The margin has fluctuated according to the revelations of the census, while it was not until the beginning of this century that the maximum number of European seats was fixed at 76. The first Parliament consisted of 40 members; then gradually the personnel was raised to 91 in 1381, after which it was reduced to 70, and then in 1900 determined at 7b. With the Dominion’s development the population of the North Island has shown the greater increase, and consequently there has been a lesser number of seats tor the South Island with a corresponding increase in the North Island. This has given the people of the south much concern, and while it has been recognised that the principle of basing representation on population is sound, the suggestion has been advanced that the South Island’s representation should be retained at its present figure and two additional seats provided in the North Island. This, however, reqiiires an amendment to the legislation; while on the other hand the Commissions’ conclusions, after the opportunity has been afforded to hear objections to the adjustments proposed by them, possess when gazetted the force of law.

Early catches of whitebait in Hawke’s Bay yesterday indicate a better season than last year.

A sister ship to H.M.S. Achilles, the new cruiser Leander, is due to sail for Auckland from Devonport, England, this week, for attachment to the New Zealand Division of the Bo,yal Navy. An Auckland St. John ambulance made a long trip of about 220 miles on Tuesday. The vehicle left Papakura with a patient about 10 o’clock in the morning. A comfortable trip was made to Coromandel, and the ambulance arrived back in the city at 6 o’clock in the evening.

At the Taumarunui "Winter Show considerable interest was taken in the weight-judging competition of six sheep, and a large sum of money was added to the show funds from this source. The actual weight of the sheep was 4821 b, and the prize was divided by two men who guessed 48121 b. The guesses ranged from 621 b to 171511 b. Containing about 1,000,000 specimens, including more than 360 types which are extremely valuable in determining the geology of the country, a collection of mollusca belonging to Dr. H. J. Finlay, of Dunedin, is to be purchased by the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum for use in the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The collection represents almost a lifetime of careful accumulation.

Holding that a motor-car loft in the parking enclosure of the Metropolitan Trotting Club during a race meeting could not be regarded as in the custody of the club, Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., gave, his reserved decision in favour of the club in the case in which A. B. Wanty claimed from it the sum of £8 8s 6d as damages for the loss of the spare wheel of his car,'reports a Press Association message from Christchurch. Jt was alleged to have been stolen from the car through the negligence or default of servants of the club.

An unusual cause brought about a fire in the niotor-trimining department, in George Street, of Messrs Justice and Edmunds last evening. A floor covering was being fitted to a car and in the operations it was necessary to clean the portion of the gear box, next the floor, of some grease. The grease was loosened with a little benzine and a knife was then employed to scrape it off. Accidentally, contact was made by the knife with a portion of the electrical equipment and from the short circuit the resulting spark ignited the benzine. Damage was done to the interior of the car to the,extent of about £2O. The Eire Brigade was called to deal with the outbreak.

A memorial tablet to the lato Sir Charles Kingsford Smith lias been presented to the council of the Auckland Institute and Museum by the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis.

Between 7 p.m. on Saturday last and 6 o’clock on Monday morning Dunedin premises were broken into and 16 bags of rabbit skins stolen. The skins, which had been graded and were oi first quality, were valued at £279 •os 4d.

After having been farmed by the same family for almost 36 years, “Stormy Point,” the estate of the late Mrs 1. A’Court, of Sanson, has been sold to Mr A. Sievers, of Makara. The property comprises 440 acres of rich sheep country. First of the streets scheduled for sealing under the programme of operations approved by the Palmeiston North City Council for this year, Marne Street (from College Street to Park Road) is now being re-formed and remetalled in preparation lor permanent surfacing.

Many people in Auckland and nearer suburbs were startled by the shrjek of a siren which lasted for four minutes shortly after 7 o’clock on 'Wednesday night. The noise was caused by the whistle on the Limited express for Wellington jamhing as the train was pulling out of the station. Thousands of starlings have gathered each evening of late on Mr Beazer’s property to the west of the Feilding borough boundary on the old Sanson Road. The birds find a resting place for the night in the bush nearby and the sight of the daily rendezvous is mffst interesting to those who appreciate bird life. A mean theft was committed at a local residence two days ago. The household were caring for a particularly good male canary for a relative, and while temporarily absent some one entered the grounds and removed the bird, from its cage, being attracted to the canary, it is thought, by its excellent song.

The shortage of water at Cobdcn (Gre.vmouth) among residents who are still dependent upon tanks has become acute, and demands upon the services of the Cobden fire brigade to fill tanks from the fire plugs on the new mains have become so insistent that the brigade has decided to inaugurate a systematic service.

The demand from prospective tenants for the 375 houses at present being built at Miramar and Lower Hutt under the Government’s housing scheme is far in excess of the supply. Applications for these dwellings received up to the closing date on June 8 totalled 2300, and of this number close on 1500 showed a preference for the 90 houses under construction at Miramar. A loss estimated at about £IOOO was suffered b> Dr K. I. Woodward when fire, at three o’clock morning, destroyed his house in Tuakau, near Auckland. The contents also were destroyed. Dr Woodward was away at the time and among the possessions lost were medical books valued at about £2OO and instruments, including one which cost more than £7o.—Press Association.

It was stated yesterday by Mr H. W. Guy, organising-secretary of the Disabled Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Mutual Association, who is at present in Palmerston North, that in the Old Country there were no fewer than 465,000 disabled men as the result of war service. Of these 15,000 had a degree of disability of over 75 per cent, and there were 8000 who had been in hospital ever since the Great War. A commercial airport for Auckland much nearer the city' than Mangere and possibly on reclaimed land on the waterfront near the Devonport vehicular ferry landing is advocated by Commander Blythe, one of the four commanders on the new AucklandWellington air service. He criticised Mangere aerodrome, which, he said, was ideal for club flying, but totally inadequate to serve Auckland as a commercial airport. Between 300 and 350 young men from all parts of the North Island will arrive in Palmerston North on Monday to enter camp at the Showgrounds for the Educational Week arranged at this centre for Young Farmers’ Clubs. The programme is the most ambitious yet attempted bv this growing organisation, and really the first assembly of its kind arranged in New Zealand, though a camp was conducted on a much smaller scale in the Wairarapa last season.

The suggestion that the Plunket Society might direct certain of its work to check tile high incidence of dental caries in the Dominion was made by Dr. E. B. Eeilly at the meeting of the Christchurch branch of the Royal Society for the Healtli of Women and Children (Plunket Society). Organisations, he said existed in the country for wool, wheat, and animal researches, hut practically the only organisation for -similar work among human beings was the Plunket Society.

The suggestion that the person last in charge of a car b© held responsible for its parking position was offered by Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., when dismissing a charge of unlawful parking in the Magistrate’s Court, Wellington, yesterday. The explanation was advanced that the car must have been pushed by hand a few feet away from the original parking place, the brake being released for the purpose. “At present it is open for anybody to come to Court with this explanation,” said tho Magistrate.

Provision for efficient air-condition-ing in carriages in use on the New Zealand railways is now well in hand, according to an announcement made in Napier by the Minister of Railways (Hon. D. G. Sullivan). The system, ho said, would be operated electrically to provide a constant temperature in the cars. The Railway Department was making tests on one of the North Island sleeping cars, and tho proposal was to provide this system in new rolling stock now being built for main line services, where this was found desirable.

It costs as much as £lO in America to snoot deer, that amount being tho license fee for a season of a few days; there deer are scarce. In New Zealand they are a pest and two of them were shot during the week-end in the Beaumont Hills, Otago, by members of the Marcus Show. According to Mr Dyer, who is an experienced sportsman, tho Dominion is a huntsman’s paradise, and he holds that its qualities in that respect alone would attract large numbers of his compatriots to Now Zealand if the abundance of gam© hero were only widely advertised. Giving an indication of the invaluable work being carried out by tho Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment League in New Zealand, Mr B. J. Jacobs, president of the Palmerston North branch of the R.S.A., stated yesterday that when the scheme was in lull working order it would result in a big saving to the country. The league enjoyed a Government subsidy, he added, and last year in Christchurch alone its activities had brought about savings in economic pensions more than equal to the subsidy for the whole Dominion. “And it is not only the saving,” declared Mr Jacobs; “what is of even more importance is that these disabled men are be,ing given what they desire—useful work and an interest in life.”