In the Commons on Monday the Speaker announced that the
Redistribution Resolution could not be put to the House en bloc, but must be divided into at least eight, and probably nine, Resolutions, which would have to be separately submitted. Further. lie declared that the Resolutions would have to be referred to a Committee of the whole House. Upon this Mr. Balfour announced that the Resolution would be withdrawn, and that he would proceed by Bill next Session. So ends the Redistribution fiasco. As we have pointed out elsewhere, it will be quite impossible for Mr. Balfour to pass a Redistribution Act next Session, though no doubt a dummy Bill will be put in the legislative shop-window. If he were in earnest in his scheme, he would propose to hold an .autumn Session to pass his Resolution setting up a Boundary Commission. His unwillingness to do this is a proof that there will be no Redistribution scheme carried before the General Election. There is some talk of Mr. Balfour appointing a Commission or Committee to examine the question of boundaries during the Recess ; but as such a body would have no mandate, whatever work it did would have to be done over again after the House had decided what should be the general principles of the scheme. What those principles will be no one can at present state. Even the present House of Commons would not be content merely to endorse without discussion a plan brought before it by a Boundary Commission appointed by a Royal Warrant.
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