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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4162, 23 July 1874, Page 2

Some discussion took place in tho House yesterday on the subject of the representation of the Colony in Parliament. Mr. Sheehan proposed a motion to the effect that a readjustment of the representation-was necessary ; that it should take effect at the" next general elections; and that the Government should, dining the recess, take the matter into consideration, with a view to the preparation of a perfectlymatured measure to he submitted to the House next session. The lion, gentleman thought there were quite a sufficient number of members in the House. He did not propose to increase the number of members, but considered that a redistribution of seats was absolutely necessary. It was possible that, through such a redistribution, Auckland mjght obtain an increase of voting powers, while it was notorious that the South Island was not adequately represented. Hawke’s Bay, he also thought, was under represented, while Taranaki and Wellington were over represented. He also noticed that in the Province of Auckland there were 25,000 Natives, who were represented in the House by one member only. Mr. Vogel, in reply, remarked that there were other considerations beyond those of population only to be considered. Even on that ground, however, Auckland might suffer from a redistribution of representation. For example, when the representation was last adjusted the population of Auckland was 62,000, and now it was not more than 69,000. In Taranaki the population then was 4800, and now it was 5500. In Wellington, in 1870 it was 25,000, and now it was 31,455. Hawke’s Bay then had 6000, and now 9700. Nelson then had a population of 24,000, but it now had only 22,000 ; while Marlborough had grown from 4700 to 6200. Westland had increased from 13,500 to 14,900, but Canterbury had grown enormously, her population in 1870 having been only 40,000, while now it was 61,000. In the same time, Otago and Southland had grown from 70,000 to 88,000. He thought there was a feeling of chivalry in the House which would prevent it from reducing the number of members of the less populous provinces, the tendency always beingto increase rather than to reducethe numberof membersof the House. The hon. the Premier promised that the Government would consider the subject during the recess, and moved the previous question. On a division, the amendment was carried by 33 to 30.

The exemption of members of fire-brigades from serving on juries was the subject of some debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. A desire was shown generally to extend to members of those bodies the privilege they sought. The question, however, was to distinguish between members whose names were enrolled on the lists of brigades merely to enable them to claim the privilege, of exemption, and those who were really hona fide members, devoting themselves to the interests of the public. Mr. O’Conor pointed out that the same rule could not apply to large and small places, because in the latter nearly all tho persons who would be most valuable on a jurylist would also be members of the fire-brigade. Mr. Hunter warmly supported the claims of the firemen, and urged that no great harm could arise from granting them the boon they craved, seeing that in Wellington, for example, with a population of 10,000, the number of firemen could not exceed forty or forty-five. Tho proposition was agreed to, Mr. Macandrew, of Dunedin, promising to have a Bill prepared by the best talent to secure only to the lona fide firemen tho exemption asked for.

A discussion of a somewhat amusing character took place in the Legislative Council on Tuesday. The Westland Loans Bill, which had passed the House of Representatives, was taken into Committee, and some lion, member objected to the preamble, which contained the formal announcement, that, under the first Act, which was for raising £50,000, no less than £58,000 had been obtained. Tho Bill contemplated the expenditure of the balance, and of a small amount remaining in hand. The explanation was that the bonds had sold at a better price than had been anticipated ; hence the excess. This, it was contended, was a fact to the credit of the Colony, and should not afford an objection to the preamble. Tho Committee adjourned; and meanwhile the Colonial Secretary will resolve .upon what course he will elect to adopt.