On Wednesday in the Commons Mn McKenna moved the second
reading of his Bill for preventing successful hunger strikes by allowing prisoners to be released temporarily on licence. A released prisoner would be liable to rearrest if the conditions of the licence were not observed. When the licence expired an application could be made for its renewal, and afterwards there might be a remission of the sentence if the prisoner's conduct continued good. The Bill thus gave those responsible for the administration of the law an alternative to what Mr. McKenna called the "most objecti onable practice" of forcible feeding. There was a good deal of criticism of the measure, Sir Alfred Crippa arguing that it would be no solution in some cases, and Lord Robert Cecil preferring deportation. In our opinion, the Bill should be a very useful measure. The Second Reading was carried by 296 votes to 43.
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