COUNTRY MANIFESTO. STATEMENT OF THEIR CASE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 390, 3 August 1889, Page 5

COUNTRY MANIFESTO. STATEMENT OF THEIR CASE.

i The following manifesto has been diawn ' up by the country party, and issued on the

authority of the Executive Committee of the party ;—; —

STATEMENT OF THE CASE OF THE COUNTRY PARTY. As the members representing country districts could not debate the present Representation Bill, and thus make their views known to the colony without in efiecb lending assistance to the objectionablo practice of stonewalling, ib has been thought advisable to shortly state their position through tho medium of the Press. They would therefore draw attontion to the following facts and arguments as entirely justifying that position :—: — 1. They are supporting a Bill which introduces nothing that, ib new, but which endoises a principle that nearly throughout the whole past history of tho colony and up to the piesent hour has been recognised without di&sent. 2. That even the main detail ot the Bill, namely, an advantage to the extent of 25 per cent, of population given to tho country di&tiicts, has also been the rule throughout the past history of tho colony up to 1887. The Roprosentation Act of 1881, lor instance, deliberately inado " the quota for country districts less than the quota for town districts by as nearly as possible 25 per cent.," this being the actual language of an official paper then laid on tho table of the House to explain tho operation of the said Act. 3. This allowance to the country districts made by the Act ot 1881 was universally recognised in and out of Parliament as just and reasonable. Two general elections were held under that Act, and amid all other matters then discussed net a word ot objection was ever raised to che said allowance to the country districts-. 4. From this allowance no departure in principle has ever been made, but in 1877 the extent of tho allowance was curtailed to 18 nominally, but practically 14 per cent. The mam purpose of the Bill embodying this curtailment was to equalise representation as between the North and South Islands, and all objections in Parliament to curtailment weie suppressed for a time by a threat on the part of the then Government that if the objections were insisted on, the Bill itself, otherwise a good one, would be jeopardised. 5. Tho true demociatic principle consists in a fair distribution of power and influence in representation in proportion to population. The contention of tho town members involves a very wide and most disastrous departure from that principle, inasmuch as it is recognised throughout the world that large cities, with their facilities for instantaneous organisation, and their powerful municipal institutions, their influential newspapers, and the close commuity of interests) that exists through all their sections, have apowerandinlluenceoutofall proportion to their actual number; country members are therefore only advocating the retention of a power hitherto possessed, of correcting an anti-democratic inequality in representation. 6. This inequality is increased by the facilities which towns aflordfor the exercise of plural voting, a privilege which, whether right or wrong, wise or unwise, is obviously confined to small electoral areas with perfect communication. 7. Further, in every 10,000 of tho city population theic are 2,000 male adults who, it will be admitted, form the bulk of the taxp.iyei& ; on the other hand, 1 there aic 2,000 ot the same class in e\ery 7)000 of the lemainder of the population ot tho colony, so that without taking into consideration any of the numerous political advantages large cities enjoy over the country, 10,000 of a city population should, on a taxation basis, have only the same representation in Pailiament as 7,000 in the rest of the colony. Thi^ at once justifies 30 per cent, out ot 53^, per cent, of the nominal reduction from the city population demanded by the countiy party. Their claim is, therefore, not only supported by the constitutional maxim rhat lepre.sentation should accompany taxation, but al&o by the fact that the Constitution Act requires the representation of the colony to be based on the number of electois, and not on the total population. The decrease of the number of members from 91 Lo 71, the ellect of which will bo felt chiefly in the country districts, would justify even a higher proportionate diilbrence than that now claimed. 8. The statement that the concession to the country districts would mean tin owing the representation into the hands of larsrc landowneis is manifestly absurd. In the pabt, with 25 per cent, it has never produced that result, why then now ? As a matter of fact the argument whatever it may be woi th is quite the other way, since all experience shows that the feeling against such a tendency is stronger in the country districts than in the towns. 9. A true estimate of the value of the objections novv made by the town members may be formed from a bare statement of the fact that their leader, Sir G. Grey, in 1879 intioduced and strove to carry through a Bill expressly conceding to country districts an advantage of 25 per cent. 10. The activity of the citie3 at the present moment in their hostility to the Representation Bill is the most conclusive pi oof of their power of swift organisation, and the influence they can wield. On the other hand, the wide dispersion ot tho country population is a serioub drawback to any effective effort even in the defence of their own interests. In view of all these facts, the country members would regard it as a betiayal of their trust were they to lecede from a position based upon justice,and aiming at practical equality of representative power.

Wii-LLiMiTOX, July 31. Messrs G oldie, Ilohbs, Bavron, Ross and Izard took up the whole of the iorenooifs sitting. The speech of the member for Bay of Islands was a short one in reply to the arguments of the town party. Sir George Grey has been promised by the Government an early opportunity of bringing forward the amendments set out in the ibsue of yesterday. The proposal for the abolition of plural voting will be treated on its merits, but that for the restoration of the number of member? and the immed : ate dissolution of Parliament will be resisted to its utmost, ' but they are immaterial' to Sir George. Rumour has spoken freely of the probability of a compromise between the contending parties under which an allowance of 25 per cent, will be made to the distinctly rural districts on the basis of the Act of 1887, that is to say, a nominal addition to the country, instead of a deduction from the cities and all boroughs of less than 2,000 inhabitants. Country members fctate that this would give them even a greater advantage than is proposed by the Bill now before the Hou3e, but no definite arrangement has been made. Rather than allow the present deadlock to continue some members on both sides are favourable to the appointment of a conference comprising half -a - dozen moderate men of either party who may agree upon a basis of compromise. It would not now bo at all biirjui&ing it this idea were carried out.