7 JANUARY 1922, Page 9

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THE Irish settlement is still unratified by the Dail when we go to press on Thursday. The general opinion seems to be that there will be a small majority for ratification. But Mr. De Valera is working day and night to bring about rejection. A good sign, on the other hand, is the fact that during the Christmas holidays resolutions by Sinn Fein bodies all over Ireland were passed urging acceptance. The Dail met again on Tuesday and the angry yet unreal debate continued—unreal because the opinion of the country as a whole is now known to be strongly in favour of the Treaty.