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The article discusses the history of extra-legislative royal commissions in England, beginning with William the Conqueror's 1080 commission of bishops and nobles' representatives to investigate the legitimacy of land ownership claims. Pointedly discussed is Lord Beveridge's 1941 white paper on social legislation titled "Social Insurance and Allied Services."

The article presents information on contributions to the discussion on urbanization. The process of urbanization began in Great Britain earlier than in most countries. The problems and the pressures are probably greater. Since 1900 the urban area of England and Wales has increased by 80 percent. Fifteen new towns have been built in the countryside since World War II. Many others have been officially expanded. Almost all towns of 50.000 persons and over are bristling their boundaries and thousands of new, private-enterprise, homes are spreading over the countryside. A present-day industrial enterprise commonly spreads over up to 1200 acres of land. Contrast this with a nineteenth century factory. If the 50 million people of England and Wales were housed at the density-rate adopted for new towns it should need 50 million acres for housing purposes alone.