THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2106, 4 October 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1875.

It does not require us to point out how inadequate and unfair is-the wretched apology for a bill for the re-distribution of seats which the Government have brought forward under the title.of " An Act to Amend the Kepreientation Acts." It i» sufficiently obvious to all who can read figures, and we have already shown 8,8 regards this district that whether we tftlce th« number of elector! or th© number

of the inhabitants as a basis on which to form an act for a more fair adjustment of representatives, the Thames is entitled to at least twice as many as Government by this bill seem disposed to allow. It may be, and we suppose it "will be, said in defence of this absurd little attempt at a pacification of a justly indignant—because neglected—community, that it ia merely intended as a temporary measure, that the present Parliament is so near its expiration that it is wiser to leave so important a question as a thorough revision of constituencies to its successor, and that the bill is only intended to patch up the more glaring inequalities which at present exist, leaving to the incoming Parliament the task of thoroughly investigating the matter. This is all very well as far as it goes, and such an important question as giving to each, section of the Colony a fair share in the councils whereby the Colony is governed is certainly not to be lightly treated of, or passed over in a hasty and slovenly manner. But there are at least two objections to relegating the matter to the incoming Assembly, each, fatal, we think, to the present Eepresentation Bill of the Government; the one is that where an injustice is so obvious as that under which we of this goldfit-ld labour, the sooner it 19 taken away the better for all concerned. The other is that as we are entitled to four members, only allowing us to be represented by two when the question of how far we and other constituencies are to be represented is discuised for good and all, is to accord us only half that voice to which from our numbers —either of inhabitants or electors —we ai*e entitled. That is, that if Government urge in palliation of this miserable attempt at a compromise, that it Is only to be of a temporary nature, and endeavour to put us off by saying, "oh! never mind for the present it is only for a little while, and when the subject is seriously debated you will get your four members all right enough," we can with justice .reply: " but in that Assembly which is called to debate upon this question you do not give us a fair chance of being heard ; we ought to be able to give at least four votes towards deciding the question which will then be debated, and you only allow us two, thus robbing us of one half of our fair and proper influence. Nor is this all. You still further nullify the influence we ought to have in the matter by allowing other constituencies to retain members to which they are not entitled from their numbers or importance, and thus while you take from us one half our proper share, you add to the injustice by doing away with the power of the other half by suffering a counterpoise to remain in the shape of these pocket boroughs." It will be seen that we show the injustice of the Government measure by assuming that they will excuse it by the only possible excuse which can be offered for it, i.e., on the ground-of 4ts being intended as only a temporary measure. If they do away with our arguments by saying that it is not intended as a temporary measure, but that according to their views it meets all the requirements of the case, then the injustice is so gross, and the inequality so transparent as scarcely to need demonstration. That a constituency like the Thames should only be considered entitled to twice the amount of representation allowed to Totara and Wallace (each numbering little more than a hundred electors, while the Thames numbers three and a-half thousand) is too glaring to admit of argument. It is unnecessary for us, as we said, to go into figures to show the amount of representation we are entitled to. We hare already drawn attention to the subject, and any one can read and see for themselves that all we wish to have is only fair and proper. To do justice as the case now stands, a thorough revision of the constituencies is needed ; not such a paltry measure as endeavouring to pacify Christehurch, Dunedin and the Thames, by giving them one additional member, while gross anomalies in the shape of pocket boroughs are suffered to exist. This is only a sop to Cerberus and a very insufficient one too. What is wanted is that one basis must be fixed on, and by this basis the representation of the colony must be regulated and all constituencies treated alike. It is in determining what this basis shall be that we cla\m to have a voice, which the Government, if they say that their measure is but temporary, unjustly deny us, by according to us only two members in the place of four. While if they say that no basis is needed, but that the present system of according representatives either by fear or favour is to continue as heretofore, the sooner they quit office the better for the interests of New Zealand.

A C9BEESPONDBNT whose letter appeared in this journal the other day suggested a very awkward query to one of the Thames milkmen who bad publicly protested that he had never sold anything but pure milk. We thought that perhaps an answer might be afforded to the query, but as yet the person referred to has remained silent. No doubt he considers that as the price ©f milk has been fixed by combination at eightpence per quart, there is no occasion for him to go into particulars, as to how he was enabled to sell pure milk at twenty-five per cent, less for so many months. ■ But apart from this consideration such answer would really be interesting, as showing large conscientiousness on the part of the aforesaid vendor of milk, who in justice to his customers sold only pure milk while it was notorious that so many in the ssame business supplied their customers with a highly diluted article, We can testify that since the combination of milkmen to sell pure milk only at eightpeace a quart, the lacteal fluid which has

colored our matutinal cup of coffee has been of *a much bettor quality than formerly, but then our milkmaa is a- conscientious milkman, who did not profess to retail pure milk until the price was raised, and we had to be content with what we could get. Nevertheless we. should like to hear from that other milkf man how he managed to carry on so long at such an alarming sacrifice of interest to conscience, if only to learn the difference which he must now experience in the daily and weekly returns from hi« business. It follows that a man who could carry on business profitably while retailing an article at a certain price must find his business much more renumerative when his article of trade is raised move than twenty-five per cent, without any apparent advance in the cost of the article. Perhaps the milkman referred to may yet be induced to enlighten us on these particulars. If he does not do so, his assertions may be considered doubtful on the score of. accuracy, and people will naturally say that he was nofe'altogether guiltless of the practice of dilution to which some of his brethren pleaded guilty, while he has been less c mdid in admission on the score of vending an adulterated article.