The Government appears unable to rid itself of its fear
that the Irish Sunday Closing Bill will greatly irritate the population of the large towns, and has accordingly persuaded the supporters of the measure to agree that it should be referred to a Select Committee. The Committee, however, is not to examine the question of Sunday closing, but only to hear evidence as to the effect of such a law in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Waterford, and Limerick, and to propose the most expedient method of applying the Bill to such places. The proposal is quite reasonable, but it is difficult to avoid a suspicion that Sir M. Hicks. Beach thinks the result of the evidence will be to show that the Bill is inap- plicable to large places. Its promoters, however, evince no fear of the inquiry, and the second reading was carried by 194 to 23, —almost equivalent to unanimity.
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