Greater Auckland’s Advance

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 25, 21 April 1927, Page 8

Greater Auckland’s Advance

New Electorate Forshadowed

' It is considered certain that, in the impending readjustment of electoral boundaries, a new electorate wii! be established in the Auckland city area. In this pa rticular centre population has been accumulating steadily since the last re-alignment of political boundaries Was made.

What slices will be hewn from existing electorates to create the new district is a matter of uncertainty, but areas where the density of population has lately increased may experience' changes. At present Mr. V. H. Potter. Member for Roskill, represents the most populous electorate in the Dominion. For just over 15,000 souls he is the Parliamentary mouthpiece, and the size of his electorate, compared with some others, suggests that Roskill is one electorate, at least, which will emerge modified from the melting-pot. THE EDEN ANOMALY A map of the Auckland electoral districts discloses superficial anomalies. Queer elbows and appendages make their outlines extremely irregular and to some, such as Eden and Waitemata, are attached slices of rural territory. Many contend that Waitemata. consisting chiefly of the populous suburbs across the harbour, is entitled to a purely urban classification, while others are dissatisfied with the name of the Eden electorate, which has no connection with the Mount Eden district and only perplexes Roskill electors, many of whom fondly believed at the last election that they had a vote for one of the Eden candidates. If the decisions of the North Island Boundaries Commission, consisting of Messrs. J. Trounson, J. Strauchan, K. M. Graham, W. D. Armit and W. T. Neill, who meet in Wellington on May 2, effect the removal of this anomaly it will not have worked in vain. Beyond a mere matter of title, however, the commission has many weighty questions to consider. After it has studied the disposition of population through the Island —and it cannot help but note the steady drift towards Auckland—it will fix tenta-

tive boundaries and submit them to Parliament for approval. While the North Island is increasing in population it is doing so largely at the South Island’s expense and there will be uneasiness among the representatives of sparsely-populated southern regions until it is known definitely which electorate must go out in the inevitable reduction. AUCKLAND THE GOAL Population figures disclose that in 1574 the North Island had only 37.37 per cent, of the colony's population. The percentage rose from 50.54 in 1901 to 60.51 in 1921, and 63 per cent, to-day. In 1900 the number of seats in the North Island was fixed at 46, with 30 in the South. Now, for the first time, that ratio is to be altered. An electorate is to be transferred from the South Island to the North, and possibly another seat, to raise the total number to 77, may be created. Should speculations on these lines materialise the increased number will not be a record, as away back in ISSI there were 91 electorates, a figure to which the roll numbers had soared in the 21 years since the first Parliament assembled with 40 members. From the record roll of 91 the number fell to 70 six years later, hut since 1900, when it ‘ was fixed at 76, has remained unaltered. Auckland and its district, however, have been steadily amassing population. The borders of the province now encompass one third of the Dominion’s people, but out of 76 members of Parliament it has only 21 to call its own.

Obviously, on the basis of representation according to population, the province is entitled to at least two more electorates and one of them must be formed within the Auckland City area.