The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3860, 13 May 1881, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, MAY 13, 1881.

A WBiTKB in an esteemed contemporary, referring to the recent legislation in France in diriding the countryJnto large constituencies and giving one Parliamentary representative to every 100,000. inhabitants, says that such a system should be introduced into New Zealand. He Bays that the over representation of the people of this colony has led to political jobbery, and debased its representative institution into a mere body, every mem*, ber of which scrambles annually for as much money as he can get for his particular district. We are not prepared to admit that we are over represented in this colony, or that over representation is the oause of evils to which our contemporary

refers—evils which we cannot deny does exist. Of course the deduction our friend draws from hii train of argument is that representative bodies should be muoh smaller, than those at. present in. rogue in the Australian colonies. This oar Liberal instincts will not permit us to •tow. The people should be truly sovereign, and large representative bodies tend to place the reins of power in the hands of the people. If the people are | inclined to be extravagant and run a j country into debt, on their heads is the j burden of paying it off. People cannot jbe .kept „Rood, neither can., they .be j economical by Act of Parliament. New Zealand!s financial troubles are not due to her system, but to its administrators.