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Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2659, 27 July 1889, Page 2

Tiie determined stonewalling of the Representation Bill still continues. The Bill, a short one of five clautes, was substituted for the one previously introduced by the Government, which provided for election of members on the Hare principle of enlarged constituencies, and which was withdrawn. The present Bill merely contains an alteration in the quota under the method of computation, and deducts 25 per cent, of the population of the four chief centres, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and adds them to the population of the country districts, in which are included all towns of two thousand inhabitants and under. This alteration is considered necessary in consequence of the Act reducing the number of representatives, and by which tho electorates in the country will be enlarged. On the basis of population under the present classification, the bulk of which, being in large centres, the preponderance of representation would be gained by the cities, if no readjustment be made. The town members assert that the twenty-five per cent, really amounts to thirty-three per cent, and on this assumption they look upon the Bill as an attack on their privileges, and an attempt to disfranchise them to a great extent. In reality there is a strong desire to prevent the House being ledueed to seventy-four members, and this appearance of bitter feeling between town and country is fanned in order to effect a reversal of the House's own decision of two years ago. We do not recognise the claim ot the cities to undue representation ; the waste, the profligacy and selfish legislation of the past have been the outcome of the political power which has been enjoyed by the cities and misused for their own aggrandisement. The cities have had lavished upon them the greater portion of the loans, and have grown and fattened on the reckless expenditure of borrowed money, for which the country has to bear the weight of taxation. The worst and most corrupt of ministries have been those who were more or less composed of city representatives, ihe seat of the colony's wealth, industry, manhood and whatever patriotism it possesses, is in the country ; therefore, its greatest safety lies with the public opinion and sterling honesty of the country. Public meetings are being convened in the citics, including Auckland, to protest against the Representation Bill and sympathise with the obstructive stonewallers. Misrule by minorities is to be condoned with and accepted as

legitimate parliamentary government is to be decried. There is not time to convene representative and influential public meetings in the Waipa and kato electorates to denounce this wicked waste of the country's time and money conduct that brings all our popular institutions into contempt, but the leading public bodies can arrange special meetings without delay, and telegraph an expression of opinion and feeling to our two members. This would strengthen their course of action and be accepted as a protest against the prostitution of our constitution and representative institutions. We trust the local corporate bodies will take prompt action in the direction we have suggested.