A THIRD PARTY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9122, 23 June 1908, Page 4

A THIRD PARTY.

In the course of his pre-seasional speech at Christchurch on Friday night, Mr W. W. Tanner, M.P., in dealing with the possible appearance of a third party in New Zealand politics, said that the basis of Parliamentary representation was ajaihst the formation in the Dominion of a labour party like that which exists in Australia. He stated that whereas the electors in the three Auckland seats and the electorates of Grey Lynn and Parnell numbered 67,000, the country electorates, (Kaipara, Marsden, Franklin and Bay of Islands), had 52,000. Wellington and Wellington suburbs had 66,000' electors, and the country electorates, (Egmont, Rangitikei, Manawatu and Otaki), had 51,000; the three Chris 1 .- church seats and the Avon electorate had 53,747 electors, whilst four country electorates (Ellesmere, Ilurunui, Geraldine and Selvvyi), had 43,000; the/four Dunedin elect r ates had 54,000, and four country electorates had 42,000. Taking the eighteen city seats the number of electors was 241,000, ns against 190,000 for the eighteen country electorates—a difference of 50,000. To be thoroughly just and to have representation according to population, he said, the cities shoulJ have five more members.