THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times. PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. TUESDAY. JANUARY 23, 1917 POPULATION AND REPRESENTATION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 244, 23 January 1917, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times.

PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

TUESDAY. JANUARY 23, 1917 POPULATION AND REPRESENTATION.

The Official Organ ot : The Franklin County Council. The Pukekohe Borough Council. The Tuakau Town Board. The Earaka Road Board. The Manukau County Council. The Raglan County Council. The Wairoa Road Board. The Papakura Town Board. The Waikato River Board. The Mercer Town Board. The Manurewa Town Board The Manurewa Road Board.

"We nothing extenuate, nor tet down auaht in malice."

The most interesting (question that arises out of the census figures is as to how they may effect the future representation of the people iu Parliament. Roughly speaking, the present Parliament shows a representation of ouo member for every 13,000 of the population in the North ' Island, which has H members, while in the South Island, which has 32, tbo representation is approxi- i uiatoly one member for every 11,000 ; of the population. The North Island has this advantage bocause of the 28 per cent handicap which is given to rural districts aa against the cities .

and towns A rough calculation, ! which may require to be imdified when the 28 per cent is taken into full account, suggests that probably four, or possibly five, seats may be transferred from the South Island to the North as the result of the huge drift of population that has taken place. The law was altered during last session to provide that absent soldiers shall be credited to tlie various olectoral districts to which they belong, as nearly as can be ascertained from figures that will be supplied by the Defence Department, and the Department of Census and Statistics, in order that as accurate an adjustment as possible of the representation may be made. It would be idle at present to speculate as to what districts are likely to be affected by the readjustment of the representation which will have to be made by the Boundary Commissioners, prior to next e'ection. In view of the fact that the duration of the present Parliament has been extended by one year, it is not at all probable that the Boundary Commissioners will be asked to delimit constituencies prior to next session.