In the House of Lords on Tuesday Lord Courtney moved
the second reading of a Bill enabling Borough Councils in London, and probably throughout England, to be elected under a scheme of proportional representation. If the scheme was successful, the principle might be extended to Parlia- mentary representation. In Belgium for some time past a complete system of proportional representation had been established, which had worked with extraordinary success, and this great change was adopted there four years after the principle had first been applied to the election of the Com- munal Councils. Lord Courtney illustrated the need of pro- portional representation by mentioning that in the Borough Council elections of last November three London Councils did not secure a single Progressive member,—viz., Fulham, Lewisham, and Wandsworth ; while, on the other hand, the Borough Council of Bethnal Green had not a single Moderate member. One reason for submitting a Bill dealing with municipal instead of Parliamentary elections was that in the municipalities they bad constituencies suitable for the applica- tion of proportional representation, while in Parliamentary elections they would have to create or revive them.
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