OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 22 July 1881, Page 2

OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM.

* : Keferring to Mr Hall's proposal to reform the Legislative Council, tbe New Zealand Herald sajs;— ' There is one aspect in which the proposal has not been looked at, and that is, that if the two Houses came to vole together, the effect would be that the different provincial districts would be represented in a very

different way than at present. The following shows the number of members each pru7incial disiriot has in the Leg's-" lative Council and in the House of Representatives :—

As the two now s(and, the proportion is, as proposed by Mr Hall, one member of Council for every two members of the House of Representatives, but the sena* tors are very uncrenly distributed over the colony. Wellington and Hawke's > Bay have more than double their fair proportion, while Auckland, Nelson' Canterbury, and Jtago are under represented, especially Auckland. It is con« tended by some, and justly too, that i this incqaafe arts unfairly, to those par 5 so -'rffpnrstWa, and might cause some very one-sided legis* lation if the manner of settling 'dead locks ' proposed ty Mr Hall was aJop* ted ; that both Houses should vole together as one body. This latter pr<~ posal would necessitate a proper distribution of the members of the Council among the various provincial districts of the colony. The ten Wellington mem* bers enjoy a nice little sinecure, for which a generous country pays them £2630 per session, one of their number being Speaker,"

L C. H R. Auckland G IS Jfawke's Buy ... 4 3 Taranaki ] 3 Wellington ... 10 9 Westland 2 3 Kelson 3 10 Marlborough ... 1 3 Canterbury ... 6 14 Otago 9 21 Nal : .ve members ... 2 4 Totals ... 44 83