ver, are
the administrative counties, sixty-two in number,[263] created and
regulated by the local government legislation of 1888 and 1894. Six of
these administrative counties coincide geographically with ancient
counties, while most of the remaining ones represent no wide variation
from the historic areas upon which they are based. Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire were divided into three of the new counties each, and
eight others were divided into two. The administrative counties do not
include the seventy-four county boroughs which are located geographically
within them, but they do include all non-county boroughs and urban
districts, so that they are by no means altogether rural. They are
extremely unequal in size and population, the smallest being Rutland
with 19,709 inhabitants and the largest Lancashire with 1,827,436.

[Footnote 263: Including the county of London. See
p. 190.]

*193. The County Council.*--The governing authority in each
administrative county is the county council, a body composed of (1)
councillors elected for a term of three years in single-member
electoral divisions under franchise qualifications identical with
those prevailing in the boroughs, save that plural voting is not
permitted, and (2) aldermen chosen for six years by the popularly
elected councillors. The number of aldermen is regularly one-third
that of the other councillors, and half of the quota retire
triennially. Between the two classes of members there is no
distinction of power or function. The council elects a chairman and
vice-chairman who hold office one year but are commonly re-elected.
Other officers are the clerk, the chief constable, the treasurer, the
surveyor, the public analyst, inspectors of various kinds, educational
officials, and coroners. The tenure of these is not affected by
changes in the composition of the council. Legally, the chairman is
only a presiding official, though in practice his influence may be,
and not infrequently is, greater than that of any other member. In the
election of councillors party feeling seldom displays itself, and (p. 184)
elections are very commonly uncontested.[264] Members are drawn mainly
from the landowners, large farmers, and professional men, though
representatives of the lower middle and laboring classes occasionally
appear. The councils vary greatly in size, but the average membership
is approximately seventy-five. The bringing together o