The New Election Map
The publication of the reports of the various Boundary Commissions enables the ground-plan of the next General Election to be drawn. Redistribution has not been drastic, but a serious attempt to reduce the more flagrant inequalities in the size of constituencies has been successfully made. The average number of electors to a constituency is about 59,000, but geographical and other considerations of course make it necessary for many constituencies to be larger or smaller than that. (It is of interest, none the less, to note that for each of the forty London seats the electorate will average 59,507—almost identical with the national average.) The number of English seats, assuming one only for the City of London, will be 489, of Scottish 71, of Welsh 36, of Northern Irish 12, which with 12 university members gives a total of 62o—as against 615 in previous Parliaments and 64o in this. Unfortunately, the Boundary Commissioners had to do their work while the Local Government Boundary Commission was still pursuing its labours, and some adjustments will no doubt be neces- sary when the latter body has reported. Most of the present recom- mendations are mainly of local interest, but there will be sentimental regret at the disappearance of the constituency of Carnarvon Boroughs, represented by Mr. Lloyd George throughout his Parlia- mentary career, and among the amalgamations of London con- stituencies the Commission has merged Westminster and Chelsea with confessed reluctance.
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