Mr. W. E. Forster presided yesterday week at an aggregate
meeting of the Metropolitan Liberal Councils at the Cannon- Street Hotel, and made an excellent speech on the necessity for a reform of the present government of London, which he characterised as absolutely intolerable, and proved to be inconsistent with all those municipal changes most urgently needed, such as the proper organisation of the water supply and the rehousing of the poor. Mr. Forster believed that both the County Franchise Bill and the Government of London Bill would be introduced on the first night of next Session, the one by the Prime Minister and the other by the Home Secretary, and he thought that the Govern- ment of London Bill might very well be submitted to a Grand Committee. He asked for a fair representation of London under the Redistribution Bill, and explained that by a fair representa- tionhe meant nearly tripling its representation,—that is, raising it from 22 to 64; but surely that is a "counsel of perfection." Considering the enormous indirect influence of London on the House of Commons, London might well be contented with double its present representation. Mr. Forster was strongly in favour of the representation of minorities, but not of the present three-cornered system. He appeared to incline, as we do, to the subdivision of great electorates, at least, in such a place as London.
