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GENERAL AND LOCAL EFFECT OF…

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GENERAL AND LOCAL EFFECT OF THE THE REDISTRIBUTION BILL. THE promised and much-talked of Redistri- bution Bill was introduced into the House of Commoris by Mr GLADSTONE on Monday last, and was read a first time on the same even- ing. By the time this meets the eye of our readers it will have been read a second time, and have, perhaps, entered on the committee stage. There has, therefore, been no hesitat- ion and no reluctance on the part of the Government to push on this grave measure of reform on the contrary, eagerness, alacrity, and zeal have been manifested so that the country may remain satisfied that its interest are assiduously cared for by the reat man who guides the helm of State. He has so managed the affairs of Government that the Franchise Bill is now safe, and its corollary the Redistribution Bill is rapidly following in the same path. Praise too is due to the leaders of the Opposition for the valuable assistance which they have rendered the Government in settling the fundamental principles upon which the Bill is based, It is now before the country, and we propose b explain to our readers some of the most important changes which it proposes to effect. First of all then it disfranchises all exist- ing boroughs whose population is less than 15,000. There are 74 boroughs in England and Wales, which arc now represented by 82 members, which under this rule will vanish as independent boroughs. Five of these are Welsh boroughs, viz., the Beaumaris Dis- trict, or Anglesey Boroughs; Brecon, Car digan District, Havorfordwest District, and C) the Radnor District. Then there are five rural boroughs having 10 members, which are to be merged in county representations. They are Aylesbury, Cricklade, East Retford, New Shoreham, and Wenlock. Sandwich and Macclesfield are to be disfranchised, so that 96 seats in England and Wales are set free. Five Scotch and 22 Irish boroughs are also disfranchised on this principle, i.e., of having a population less than 15,000. The next change is that all boroughs with a population under 50,000 and at present having two members, will lose one of these there are in England 34 boroughs, which will each lose one member; in Scotland and Wales there are no boroughs which come under this disfranchising clause in Ireland, the three Boroughs of Galway, Limerick and Waterfcrd each lose one member. The Irish County of Carlow also loses one, and so does Rutland and Hereford in England. Two members to be taken from the city of London, which is now represented by four. These are the results of the reducing portion of the Bill, and it will thus be seen that all boroughs with a population under 15,000 are disfranchised, and all boroughs and counties with a population which does not reach 50,000 lose one member, and will, henceforth, be represented by only one. Disfranchisement has now ceased. At the number of 165,000 of population enfranchise- ment commences, and we believe that it is at this point and on the ramifications from it that the sharpest criticism will take place. All constituencies which have a population greater than 50,000 and less than 165,000 are to remain without any change io the condition of their representation, but when the latter number is passed, then an increase takes place. The great centres of popula- tion, and the large and populous counties, are those which receives the accretion. Loudon receives an addition of 37 members; York- shire of 16; Lancashire of 15 Middlesex and Cork, 5 each Durham and Lanarkshire of .1 each Liverpool is to have 9 members Birmingham and Glasgow, 7 each Leeds and Sheffield, 5 each Dublin and Belfast, 4 each; Hull, Bradford, Nottingham, Salford, and Wolverhampton, 3 each Swansea Dis- trict, 2. Such is the general plan of the B., distribution Bill as far as the allotment of members is concerned. Ireland and Wales retain their original number of members Scotland receives an increase of 12; and England of 7. The House of Commons itself is to consist of 12 more members. There is one feature, however, in the Bill which demands earnest consideration, and that is the method of allocation of the new members which is to be adopted. All the new members will represent one-membered constituencies. For instance, Liverpool will be divided into 9 wards or districts, each of which will elect one member, and the same will take place in all the local divisions ol the great towns. This principle is a novelty, and its recommendation will no doubt give rise to a. considerable amount of discussion and debates. Still, when it is considered that the two great parties of the State are pledged to carry the Bill in its integrity, we may be sure the crotchety opinions of in- dividuals and of individual groups of mem-1 bers of Parliament will not be able to effect! any organic change in its principles. The science of numbers has been iuvoked to assist in the difficult task which the framers of the Bill have had to undertake,and very serviceable it hat been. A specific number has been taken as the basis of dis- franchisement, and another specific number as that of a right to increase representation and as the measure also of its amount, and so the science of arithmetic has been ably subservi- ent and ancillary to that of statesmanship. The attenuated shades of EDWARD COCKER and of FBANCIS WALKIXOA.ME, those great men whose works on that noble science formed the textbooks of the three kingdoms for more than two centuries, will exult and swell with delight at the dignity which has been confer- red on what during life was 'their care, their glory, and their pride. Simple have been the means employed, and simple even in their magnitude arc the results which have been obtained. But it may be well to look a little more closely at the political aspect which Wa es will soon present. It has already been shown that her number of representatives, viz. 30, has been retained. The six northern counties retain their number and maintain the same representation, with the exception of Angle sea and Carnarvonshire. The Anglesea con- tributory boroughs are disenfranchised, and those who have voted as borough voters will henceforth vote as county ones. The county of Carnarvon will be divided into divisions, each of which will return one member, and the Carnarvon Borough will also return its member, so that, like Denbigshire, it will have three members. The question, however, and it is a most important one, will arise as to what change will be made in the grouping of the contributory boroughs. Mr. GLAN- STONE states specifically that the effecting of such a change was beyond the scope and not within the powers conferred on the Bound- aries Commission, and that such a change must be made by the House itself. This language is quite sufficient to inform us that changes in the groups of some contributory boroughs is contemplated. To ourselves and to our readers the two contributory boroughs of Denbigh and Flint are the most interest- ing, and those in which we and they are most concerned. Now there are certain members of each which are strictly rural, and as such are entitled to the county vote. Holt is such a one; so are Overton, Caer- gwrle, and Caerwys. Let these be struck out of the groups which constitute the two contributory borougs, and in the place of the village, of Holt put the town of Llanrwst, so that the Denbigh Boroughs would consist of tho four important towns of Wrexham, Rutbin, Denbigh, and Llanrwst. Agaiu in the p'ace of the villages of Overton, Caer- gwrlc, and Caerwys, put the important town of Rhyl, and then the Flint contributory boroughs would be an important as well as a town constituency. A change in the group- ing of other boroughs, both in Scotland and in Wales, if made on the principles just indi- cated, would have a tendency to utilise and to perpetuate such political institutions. The status of the disfranchised borough voter cannot be considered as having been lowered or degraded, for in every case where he ceases to be a borough voter IID becomes a county voter, so that he has not the slightest occasion to grumble. The Bill in its entirety bears the impress of careful thought, of prac- tical knowledge, and of a creative faculty, and the country has not hesitated in express- ing its warm approval of its general prin- ples and tenour.

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