Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 5 November 1888, page 8


THE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS

ALTERATION BILL.

ALTERATIONS OF BOUNDARIES.

The Electoral Districts Alteration Bill, which has now passed through com-mittee of the Legislative Assembly, will increase the number of members of that House from 86 to 95, being an addition of nine. It was originally intended that the number should only be increased by eight, but in order to avoid the disarrangement of the districts in the neighbourhood of Sandhurst and Castlemaine, it was thought desirable to make a new electorate to be called South Sandhurst, which will return one member, thus making the total number 95. The colony will in future be divided into 83 constituencies, 71 of which will return one member each, and 12 two members. At present there are 55 electorates, five of which return three members each, 21 two members,

and 29 one member.

In consequence of the alterations made on Thursday evening in the constituencies of Mandurang and Sandhurst, Gunbower has been reduced in size by taking away from it four parishes lying to tho west of Torrum-barry-road and adding them on to Bendigo, which has also been reduced to a great ex-tent by cutting off the country immediately to the north ot Eaglehawk, the whole of the parish of Neerim, and a piece of territory running up to the Huntly shire boundary, all of which has been added on to Eaglehawk.

The electorate of Englehawk is formed of the portions cut off from Bendigo, the borough of Eaglehawk, and a small piece of territory in the vicinity of Long Gully within the boundary of the city of Sandhurst.

The new constituency of South Sandhurst will consist of the greater part of that por-tion of the Marong shire which was to have been added on to the Maldon electorate, and the Strathfieldsaye shire, which was accord-ing to the bill to have been in the Castle-maine district, and that portion of the city of Sandhurst lying to the south-east of High street and the south west of Russell-street.

The new electorate of Castlemaine is similar to that contained in the bill, except that Strathfieldsaye shire has been taken off, and a portion of Newstead, which has always been in the constituency of Castlemaine,

added.

The Maldon constituency will in future comprise the old electorate of Maldon, with a portion of the shire of Marong added on to it, and also that portion of the Maldon shire which was formerly in the Maryborough district. It was proposed to attach Lockwood to Maldon, but that place is now left m the electorate of South Sandhurst. The boundaries of the metro-politan constituencies also underwent a change on Thursday evening. The single electorates of North Melbourne and South Carlton were amalgamated and will return two members. This alteration will enable the North Melbourne Town hall to be in-cluded in the electorate.

The constituency of West Melbourne Is merely altered by substituting Victoria street for Queensberry street as its northern boun-dary.

Originally Punt road was the eastern boun-dary of the electorate of Albert-park, but now the St Kilda road has been substituted, leaving Punt hill in South Yarra, This amendment necessitated a change in the eastern boundary of the new constituency of South Yarra, which has been taken westward from Williams road to a line drawn across

the late Major Howie's paddock to the main drain.