The promised Royal Commission on London Squares was appointed last
week. It will investigate the con- _ ditions under which the squares are held and used, and consider methods of safeguarding them permanently as open spaces. It does not follow that even if the squares can be kept as open spaces, that is to say as places that may not be built upon, they can be thrown open to the public or to children as playing-grounds. Appar- ently it will be within the discretion of the Royal Commission to make recommendations on these subjects, but they are not explicitly within the terms of reference. We sincerely wish there were not so many difficulties in the way of the playing-field ideal, but the difficulties, it must be admitted, are great as well as numerous. We trust that the Commission will at the very least recommend strongly that no open space must be lost to London, and that squares which are ceasing to be residential should be earmarked for use at the appro- priate time as recreation grounds or playing-fields.
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