WELLINGTON TOPICS.
A SETTLED STRUTS, CB;? VKijE.-VPflTiiaiiratair Reporter). Wellington, August 15. The Socal gas strike which lias been .settM by ilie capitulation of the men was doomed to failure from the first. The strikers seem to have been oblivious to the well-recognised fact that no good cause need be promoted by war upon lie community. Before they had been out a weak every household in Wellingtoa had decided definitely against them end was siding with the City Council in the struggle. ~ Then it became only a ma-tier ox time when they would have cither to surrender or to set about finding other omployment. The only point oi interest to outsiders in the matter is that another body of workers has relumed to the wholesome protection of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act more experienced and, if; may be hoped, wiser men. OVER-DOING IT; Tie weakness of the criticism that is being levelled against the administra tion of the Defence Department by some of tie more impetuous members of the House lie 3 mainly in its vehemence. The late Mr T. 15. Taylor used to excuse his violent attacks up Mr. Seddon by saying a little exaggeration was necessary to get at the truth. But Mi' Taylor's imitators in the present Parlianfent are not endowed with his mastery of detail and nice sense of proportion. They over piay their parts and their tirades fall harmlessly to the ground in conse'queace. They credit Sir Jauxes Allen with attributes he does not possess and with offences he does not commit, and after most of their assaults the Minister is left a little better -entrenched behind a bulwark of facts.
WITHHOLDING INFORMATION. The result of all this is that Sir James escapes a good deal of criticism that would be really useful to the country and, indeed, to himself. For some not very obvious reason he has persistently withheld information concerning the position' of the reinforcements <and, of oouxae, no one is at liberty to speculate as to fie actual position. There is no suggestion that the number of men required is not available, but there is a strong suspicion they are not coming into camp as quickly as was originally prescribed. In some cases recruits are being sent away with only five, or six weeks' training, being put forward one or even two reinforcements without tlio lerst appearance of compunction. People are asking the reason why. THE MILITARY AGE, If. is understood that en the conclusion (>i liie liwuieial debate the Bill making ni l-.vision for calling up the Second Divlsio;i tu'id dealing with other military mailti-a will be submitted to the House. Probably it will be found the Cabinet as a whole has not approved of the suggestion of the military authorities that the age for service should be lowered to nineteen, but that at the time of writing is by no means certain. It is taken for granted Sir James Allen will side with his responsible officers and it is thought fhc suggestion may commend itself to two or three of his colleagues, but it is. believed a majority of the Ministers will prefer to Follow what appears to be the drift of public opinion. The conscription of lads of nineteen would not be a strong election card.
PARLIAMENTARY REPESENTA " TION. Wellington, August 17. Mr McCallum'a proposal that tie readjustment of parliamentary representation, made necessary by the census of last year, should proceed along the line 3of leaving the South Island electorates undisturbed and giving the Isorth Maud the additional members to which it is entitled by its increased population, has not yet received much serious public attention. Members of the House, however, are recalling the fact that a similar proposal was carried out by Mr. Seddon when ( the drift northward had mutprialiy affected the relative noting strength of the two islands and thoss hailing from this side of the Straits are professing to be a little nervous lest Mr. Massey should be persuaded to follow the example of his great predecessor. Mr. McCalium himself, who is not seeking to deprive the North Island of tuiy advantage it should enjoy by reason of its incr/iwad papula* tion, is only anxiaus to lessen the inconvenience occasioned to electors and their representatives by constant alterations. THE POSITIQN. The position may ba simply eljilained At the census of 1911 the actual population of the North Island was 505,729 and the nominal population, jhe population, that is, after adding the '"country quota" of 28 per cent, 643,673. The figures for the South Island were 444,477 and 509,991 respectively. The additions to the actual population for electoral purposes on account of the "couatry ijuota" were, therefore, 79,944 in the North Island and 05,514 in the South l*lai)d, and the "quota" for the constitution of an electorate was 15,130. The census of last year has shown the population of the North bland at the time it was taken to be 041,W0, an increase of and the population of the South Island 448,158, aji increase of 3081. Assuming that the "country quota" 1111111 be distributed in about the h.-.aie proportion as it was five years agothe nominal population of the North laland now will be, roughly, 744,000 and of the South Island 515,000, while the "quota" for the constitution of an electorate will be, again roughly, 10,000.
THE NEW REPRESENTATION, On ilie face of these figures it looks as if under the provisions of the existing electoral law the North Island will be entitled to three additional members and Die South Island to three fewer. This change' would give the North forty-live European members in place of fortytwo, and leave the South with thirty-one in place of thirty-four. If Mr. McCal--1 urn's proposal were 'accepted, which would mean leaving the "quota." required for the 'constitution of an electorate at 15,180, the North eight members and the South thirtyi'oui', an iuciease oi' six in the number oi' lutsinburs, while the northern majority, louneen. would remain just the same under either arrangement. The obvious uojtictious to the proposal are that it. would impose upon the country the additional co.-1 or .-ix mcaibcw, probably not less rtitn £3OO per head p?r year, and would establish a precedent for the incrcasKi of representation after every census. THE DRIFT. The really serious aspect of the whole matter from the southern, point of view is the continuation and the acceleration of the drift northward. The mere question of parliamentary representation will be-"me of less and lees conseaumee
«a the porodioiisiu of PatKameat disap* psora and will be of no consequence *t ifl.ll when a really equitable 2nd effective Altera of local government is evolved by suine future stateamftji. But the woveiiieut of population from Wte south to the Mutk must main there is tow "thing radically wrong in the settlonnat aoudiliora of the rich province* of Omtarbury, Otago and Southland. During the last five years the increase of population in the north of Auckland district, practically terra incognita to the rest of the whole Dogiinion a decade ago, has been greater than the increase in the vhole of the South Island. Rather than calling out for more juggling with the representation question southern members of Parliament thould be finding out what is the matter with their districts.
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Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1917, Page 7
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1,212WELLINGTON TOPICS. Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1917, Page 7
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