NORTH ISLAND & MIDDLE ISLAND REPRESENTATION COMMISSIONERS (REPORT OF THE), SITTING AS A JOINT COMMISSION.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1896 Session I, H-21a

H.—2la

1896. NEW ZEALAND.

NORTH ISLAND & MIDDLE ISLAND REPRESENTATION COMMISSIONERS (REPORT OF THE), SITTING AS A JOINT COMMISSION.

Presented to the House of Representatives pursuant to " The Representation Act, 1887."

To His Excellency the Eight Honourable David, Earl of Glasgow, Knight Grand Cross of the • Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over Her Majesty's Colony of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please youk Excellency,— We, the undersigned, appointed by Commissions bearing date the 20th day of July, 1896, issued under the hand of His Excellency the Governor, and sealed with the seal of the colony, sitting as a Joint Commission for the purpose of " The Eepresentation Act, 1887," and the amendments thereof, having received a report from the Eegistrar-General showing the results of a census of the population of the colony taken on the 12th day of April, 1896, proceeded to ascertain the quota of population required for each electoral district of the colony as defined in the Acts referred to above, and now respectfully submit for your Excellency's consideration the following results of our proceedings: — The report of the Eegistrar-General showing the total population of the colony and other details was received and read by the Commission on the 27th day of July, 1896. Erom the said report it was ascertained that the total population of the colony was 703,360, of which 253,368 were comprised in thirty-nine boroughs containing over 2,000 inhabitants. Excluding those resident on the Chatham and Kermadec Islands, numbering 241 persons, there remained a country population of 449,992, to which 28 per cent, having been added, the total nominal population for the purpose of the Eepresentation Acts came out as 829,357. Dividing this number by 70, we obtained 11,848 as the quota, which represents in country districts an actual population of 9,256, a*nd in the four city electorates a population of 35,544. Proceeding on the same basis, we ascertained that the nominal population of the North Island was 400,153, and that of the Middle Island 428,896, which numbers gave to the former island a representation of 3378, and to the latter island 3649 ; and, as the fractional part was greater in the first case than in the second, the number of members for the North Island was fixed at thirty-four, that of the Middle Island at thirty-six. This result added three members to the North Island and reduced those of the Middle Island by a corresponding number. The Joint Commission having thus determined the above data, their functions, as such, ceased, the redivision of the colony into the new electoral districts devolving on the respective Commissions for the North and Middle Island. Given under our hands and seals, this 17th day of September, 1896. S. Peboy Smith, John Hislop. Chairman Joint Commission. J. P. Maitland. J. Giles. J. W. A. Makchant. Wm. A. Bichabdson. David Baebon. Gekhabd Muellek. Thos. S. Weston. John Stbauchon.

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