26 JANUARY 1918, Page 3

The Speaker's Conference on Irish Redistribution has resulted in the

acceptance by the Ulster Unionists and Nationalists of the Boundary Commissioners' scheme with two exceptions. Mr. Red- mond's little borough of Waterford is to retain its Member, and the boundaries of four divisions in County Down are to be altered. The most surprising feature of the Report is, however, the proposal that the Queen's University, Belfast, and the National University, Dublin, should return one Member each. Ireland has already forty Members too many at Westminster, but redistribution on .a purely Irish basis is to increase this excessive representation. We are in favour of University Members, but if the Irish Universities are to have more representatives, the number of the little Irish constituencies should be proportionately reduced.