VOTING LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1920, Page 5

VOTING LAW.

THE POPULATION QUESTION. IMPORTANT CHANGE PROPOSED. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The existing law provides .that the boundaries of electoral districts shall De adjusted periodically on a population basis, and the principle underlying the law is that electorates shall be of equal strength, subject to a 28 per cent, quota in favor of country electorates, but the Electoral Commissioners are allowed a margin of 550 electors in order that they may give consideration to community of interest and geographical boundaries. Mr R. McCallum (Wairau) introduced in the House of Representatives a Legislature Amendment Bill proposing to increase this margin to 5000. The Bill was reported from the Statutes Revision Committee with an amendment substituting 1250 for 5000, and it gave rise to a brief discussion in the House. Mr. McCallum (Wairau) suggested that the margin allowed the Electoral Commissioners in the adjustment of boundaries on the population basis should be increased to 1500. He said that this increase was necessary in order that due consideration might "be given to geographical considerations and community of interest. The efforts of the commissioners to adjust boundaries under present conditions produced some extraordinary anomalies, and inflicted injus'ice on constituencies as well as members. He suggested, also, that the number of electorates in the South Island should not he further reduced, and that any necessary adjustments in the future should be made "by increasing the number of North Island electorates, and so adding to the strength of the House. The present limit of eighty members need not be regarded as a fixture. Mr. R. P. Hudson (Motueka) complained that there was absolutely no community of interest between the s.astern and western porfons of his own electorate. He suggested that the boundaries of electorates should be "fixed once and for all," regardless of population. This suggestion drew a protest from Mr. J. McCombs (Lyttelton), who e&id that the electoral system was inequitable already, and would be much worse j if the margin allowed the commiTSimsers! were increased. Tho 28 per cent, quota allowed the country districts meant, in practice, that 13,000 country people had the same voting power as 17,500 town people. Equality of representation was one of the principles of democracy, and j Mr, McCallum was making about the most reactionary proposal that had been before the House in the last twenty years. Dr. Newman (Wellington East) Baid that the debate reminded him of the fight in the House twenty yean ago, when the country people tried -to get an advantage of 50 per cent, on voting power. The democratic members fought that proposal for a week, and eventually compromised on the 28 per cent, now allowed the country districts. Ho had always felt that the quota was an iniquitous handicap on one section of the voters. The Speaker, on an appeal from Mr. V. H. Reed (Bay of Island*) ruled that disoussion of tho country quota was out of order since »tho subject was not mentioned* in the Bill. Dr. Newman said his point was simply that an increase of the margin on top of the country quota would mean that city and town people would be even mora disfranchised than they were at present. The. Bill was Bet down for committal.