Lord Elcho, on Tuesday, moved two resolutions in favour of
dealing with the government of London immediately, and by a scheme which should unite the whole Metropolis. His main arguments were the defects in the supply of gas and water and in the management of the streets, and the waste involved in the multiplication of officials. Mr. Lowe supported him, in a speech which was, curiously enough, in favour of democracy, he con- tending that the 3,600,000 inhabitants of London were " trampled on in the most ignominious manner, because they had no organi- a tion through which to assert their rights." They ought to have some one at their head to advise in case of trouble or (Unger, and to control gas companies who gave them worse gas every year, and water companies who made them drink the sewage of a malion of other people. Mr. Cross quite admitted that neither the gas, water, nor sewage system was perfect, but doubted whether London was really a town or a province covered with houses ; questioned whether any one had local experience of the whole of it ; felt afraid of making the government of London political ; quoted the opinion of a Committee, which had re- ported that a government of London would not be a municipality in the ordinary sense ; and declined, on the part of Government, to promise any Bill. As we have pointed out elsewhere, the demand for this great change is as yet so feeble, and the risks involved in any change are so great, that no Government or Member unprovided with a definite plan capable of being con- sidered ought to propose it. If Lord Elcho wants to do real good, let him compel the City to do some more work for its money, by including within its boundaries a good heavy slice of East London. When it had digested that, it would be time to go a little further.
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