. The London County Council elections took place last Saturday,
when the Progressives made a net gain of nineteen seats. The election for one of the seats in Central Finsbury was at first announced as a tie, but after three recounts it was declared on Monday that the Municipal Reform candidate had a majority of one vote. In the new Council the Municipal Reformers have sixty seats and the Progressives fifty-eight. But the Municipal Reformers have also a slight majority of the Aldermen in their favour, and this majority will be further increased when the places of the retiring Aldermen are filled, as they will be, certainly for the most part, and possibly for the whole number, by Municipal Reformers. Although the parties are now almost evenly balanced, the Municipal Reform vote in the election vastly exceeded that of the Progressives. It is being said that the voting on the Municipal Reform side should be more carefully organised, but the only genuine and permanent cure for the present evil is proportional represen- tation. We trust that the very small majority of the Municipal Reformers will be large enough to prevent the reintroduction of wickedly wasteful schemes like the Works Department. The Municipal Reformers should imitate the Romans, who made their terms sterner after defeat. They should cut down expenses more than ever, instead of currying favour with Socialism on any question.
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