REPRESENTATION ACTS AMENDMENT ACT, 1887.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 361, 20 April 1889, Page 8

REPRESENTATION ACT S AMENDMENT ACT, 1887.

Mn Cadman, M.H.H.. for Coromamle!, in his recent a-nhtp^at Parawai, icu-ircii n? follows to flip nliovp Afi :—: — Ktsduciion of MtinlurVt Bill : With lvieicnce to this Mibjo< t, l»y which tin: l.i'ialitjr nt nHii>i»(.r.-> in IhfLouei Utilise would l>e mimed to 70; he said h« • fid ni t blt.tro in the gimi.il bclLf: that I<iis Bill would he it* pealed, and he felt positive it would become law. Jt had his <ntiie cuiK-urifiu'i-j iMr Cud man then .cave an outline as to how the proposed nlteiation of the boundaries of the electmates would he likely to affect Thames, Coiomandel, and the upper count! y. lie b.iid that the population of the colony f/oni the census returns? of 1887 was 645,000, of which 41 ,000 weie natives, leaving 60-1,000 isuropean«., and tie natives had sepuiute representation. There were to be 70 member- 5 , and dividing the Enr< p >an population by that number gave b'6-8 as the quota for each member. A reasonable nllowance to country districts would probably make the quota— towns, 10,000 ; country diftricts, 7000. The total goldfields population w.is ; (Joiom.indel County 2500, Thames BoiouO» 4444, Th an 's County 4435, Ohinmuii County 1115, nnd the TV Aioha Ruling of the Piako County 1203. malting a total of 13,097. "By nddingthe balance of th»s Piako County would uive 1117 iiK-re, or sufficient population for two I'onntiy sent*.. Theqi.estion, however, was !>8 t>> wlu-ie it should b divided. It \\a*> ini.o.-aible to get one lown s°at and one countiy seit, because Ihe portions av.:il.ib!e aie — Thames B<.r.»u^h 4444, Waiot.ihi Hiding 53-1, K.maeianoa 1768. and Parawais7B; total 7304 for one seat, and tons leaving for the othei : Command. -1 County 2500, Hastings Hiding 011, Total a Tiiclinjr 944, Oiiinennin Oiunly 1115, and Piako County 2320; total 7490, He did not, think this would be accepted, because the country distiict would t.liow a larger population than that for the town Reat. There was a second way of dividing it, In-ins* as follows ; — Thames Borougb, 4444; Hastings, 611; Cuiumandel County, 2500 ; total. 7555, foy one seat ; iind for the other the Ridings of. Kaiiacran^a 17G8, Parawai 578, Waiotahi 534, Total a 944, Counties of Oliinojiimi 1115; Piuko 2320; total, 7259. Loo Kin» at it impaitially this certainly, in his opinion, seemed the most equitable -\\aj- of dividing the electorates, as it gave an equal proportion of population in town a-.d countiy. The Act provided that the Commissioners shall recognise community of inteipsts as much as possible, and that they shall be fiiided by some lecogni^ed boundaries, ?uch ns the boundaiy of a Hiding, Road Boaid district, &c, the object thu« being to make it easier foi electors to determine in which district they r-side and can exercise the franchise.