THE ELECTORATES OF THE COLONY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 85, 22 October 1879, Page 2

THE ELECTORATES OF THE COLONY.

Itf view of the proposed redistribution of Beats; a few extracts from a return furnished by the Colonial Secretary V Office, will behead with interest. XEfoiri it we learn- ifcbai Wairarapa with 1826 ; Nelson City with- 1071 ; XHokitiWa with 1823"; Wai taki with 1723.; and Wanganui -with' l-tOSvoters oii the roll, are all m. the possession of two representatives. Thus it will be seen that while Manawatuis only sixteen behind^airaj rai% and; Jtbirteen. behind ll<sifika m the number upon the -..' electoral roll, it ia actually 817 .ahead of Nelson ; 4C2 m. advance- of Wanganni, and 87 of Waitaki. Then again m drawing a comparison with the larger cities such as .Dunedin, and Ohrisfcebureb we find that while both are possessed of three members, the former has only 3862 and the latter -212 of its population entitled to exercise the franchise. Divide each of .thdße numbers by three, 'and it will be found that m Dunedin each member represents 1287, and* in Chriat- , church 1 404, one being 500 and the other 400 behind Mflnawahj. Tbe same thing can be: said of Auckland City West, Franklin. Napier, Wellington, and G-rey Valley,; wbieh if divided by the numbers -of their representatives wo u^^ be. many hundreds behind Manawatn. Turning next to the smaller constituencies, it will be found that this 'county has nearly double the number of voters m A ucklaud City East, double that m Eden, Parn.ell, Bodney, Waite--mote, Egmont, Picton/ Wairau, Gladstone Avon, Solwyn, -Timaru, Dunstan, Invercargill, Port Chalmers, Taieri, Waikaia, Waikouaiti, and Waikatipu. Next it has three -times as. many votes as Bangitikei, Motueka, Akaroa, Geraldine, Mount Ida, Cliitba, and Grey, arid Bell ; four times that of Onehunga, New Plymouth, Hutt, Lyttleton , an d .^Tallace ; while it has. actually five times more electors, than Collingwnod, Nelson Suburbs. Cheviot, and Totara. We imagine that after such a plain statement tbere will ba few found to question the undoubted right Manawatu possesses to a second, representative.; '"Beside which we feel convinced that could statistics be Procured of the status of earh individual whose names are u^ou the various rolls of the Colon Y the disparity, or rather tho advante<re m favor of Mnuawatu, would l^e most annarerit. We are aware that m the contemn! ated Benresen'tation Bill-, it is proposed to make due nl. lowanqe to der tors m country districts m consideration of the ornate r stake tlipy bold m tbe country m co»rip.o.ri'«nn. with city .voter**, but we think the .disparity kbould be 'rrmch greiter. "Por instance m tbe New Election "Bill tabled by tbe present Government persons twelve months m tX Colony, and six months m a district will be able to enipv the franebise. Now it isAve'n known that, the bulk of new arrivals who nre not possessed of capital, pref-r to stay m tbe seanorl cities; .instead of inakin'g tbeir way into the interior and eonspqiieiitTv tlieelectoral roll of the laruo towns would be mate rial ly increased by persons having no real stake X the country whatever. But setting aside, this yiew of lb§ case altogether, yvhicb*,

some might be inclined to think would be merely a supposititious one. it cannot be fbr a moment denied that -the*, great bulk of ele;;---tors m cities hold tho franchise upon vory sma'l qualifications, and may 'be.cWngnated as pure birds of passage when compared to country setters. Tt is to be hoped then that whmi the new Bill is being framed, a proner proportion-il allowance will bo made for the difference m the interests held by tip two classes, and that the ner-centage fixed upon by tbe late Government will be largely increased. We have shown the large maiority which Manawatu possesses m tho matter of voting power as compared with other constituencies, and m conclusion w r e propose to give a comparison of the individual and collective voting power of electoI rates which- bave returned Liberal 1 and Conservative representatives, | and will commence with the supporters of the present GOVERNMENT. ATTCTCLAN-D. Wsikato. Whvte ... ... 215 Waipa Whitaker 371 ; 686 TARANAKI. Egmont Atkinson 322 Grey and Bell.. Trimble 289 New Plymouth Kelly 330 941 HAWKES BAT. Clire Ormond 505 Napier Sutton 580 „ Russell 578 1663 wnLiiyo-^oK. City Levin 1185 Country Brandon_ 240 Hutt Mason 167 l?nngitikei ... Willis 284 Mann watu ... Johnston 493 Wanganui ... Bryce 659 Wairarapa ...-.Beetham 800 3728 ' JTELSON. Buller Fisher 410 Nelson"City ... Pitt 499 Adams ... ... 429 Collingwood ... Gibbs 145 Grey Valley ... Masters 1130 Motueka Hursthonse ... 687 Nelson suburbs.. Eiehmond ... 112 Cheviot Sanders 137 ! 3549 MARLBOROUGH. . Picton Kenny 715 I Wairau Seymour 315 j -1030 I CANTBBBTTRT. I Ashley ... ... Monrhouse ... 337 Avon Eollestofa ... 825 i Christchurch ... Stpvpns 1250 Coleridge Wright .„ ... 4R9 Geraldi'ne Wakefield ... 246 Gladstone... ... Shidholme ... 342 Kaiapoi ... ... Bowen 407 Selwyn Hall ;;.' ... 948 ' ; 4844 OTAGO. Bruce .Murray 245 Dunedin Dick 1140 „ ... Oliver 1040 „ Stewart ... ... s-)R9 Invoreargill ... Tfbun ••• ■•... 305 "Roslvn Driver 553 Taieri Fulton 319 Waikouaiti ... M'Lean 326 Wallace Hirst 166 5083 Auckland 586 Taranaki 941 .. Hnwkes Bay 1663 Wellington 3728 Nelson ... 3549 Ma i-l borough 1030 i Canterbury ... ... ... 4844 Otago 5083 • 21,324