ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 464, 23 February 1933, Page 6

ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES.

J. T.

MERRY.

(To the Editor.) Sir, — I congratulate you on an excellent leading article whieh recently appeared in the "Morning Post, drawing attention to the peculiar anomalies evidenced in defining parliamentary electoral boundaries. Having been Registrar of Electors and Returning Officer for Bay of Plenty entitles me to claim more than a passing knowledge of that particular electorate. I have not the pleasure of knowing the personnel of the Electoral Botmdaries Commission but it is my considered opinion that the commission was quite out of its depth when it set about fixing electoral boundaries for Bay of Plenty. I believe it is a fundamental principle, or should be, in fixing electoral boundaries that due regard be paid to population, community of interest, compactness, topography accessibility and such factors. It is impossible to discern any of these features in the existing boundaries. Whakatane, Rangitaiki, Huatoki, Taneatua and Waimana are bound together with ties of mutual fnterest and are positively one entity so far as community of interest is concerned and should not be separated. Yet we find Taneatua, Waimana and Rangitaiki pitchforked into Tauranga electorate, Ruatoki hitched to Rotorua electorate with Whakatane and Opotiki remaining true to Bay of Plenty. It would seem to be impossible to display a greater disregard for fundamental electoral principles. Again there is no similarity of interests between Tolaga Bay, Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne suburbs and Bay of Plenty. Yet these extensive districts are unhappily linked with Bay of Plenty. What senselessness it seems. The Bay of Plenty is probably one of the most expensive and unweildy electorates in the Dominion over which to conduct an election. idis found necessary to appoint a Returning Officer and an Associate Returning Officer the associate at Gisborne deals exclusively with the section of votes on the Gisborne side while the Returning Officer deals with the remainder. I agree that this is probably the only way to deal with an electorate so obviously badly defined and unweildy; but the. more economic way lies in the correct assembling of electoral units with co-related interests so that the resultant may become a eompact and properly balanced electoral district. It is too much to expect the boundaries commission to pay attention to such fundamental details and prevent economic waste and general dissatisfaction. I am etc., ■

Opotiki, February 22.