The Government Bill for transferring Scotch Private-Bill business to a
tribunal is an able one. The tribunal is to consist of four Commissioners, one of whom will be the Judge of the Court of Session under the Railway Act ; another, an assessor nominated by the Court of Session ; a third, a Commissioner under the Railway Act, selected by the Commissioners administering that Act; and the fourth, a Member of the House of Commons, nominated by the Committee of Selection. They will be paid, will make inquiries on the spot when needful, and will report, like a Select Com- mittee, to the House of Parliament which has sent the business before them. Parliament will then decide as it likes, but the understanding will be that, except in extreme cases, the Report must be adopted. That is a sensible working plan, and the only objection raised to it by the Gladstonians is that the tribunal contains no representative element. Why should it, when Parliament remains absolute, and any Scotch Member can call attention to any defect in the Commissioners' Report P We might as well insist on a "representative" element on the Bench which tries an election petition.
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