There will, of coursa, be immense fighting over the details
of this huge Bill, which provides also—as we think, prematurely —for District Councils, with sanitary and other powers; but the Tories care only about the general principle, and the Liberals announce that they shall urge forwar: the il and make as few amendments as possible. The liquor in- terest is annoyed by the increased licence-duty; but as it is not positively great on each house, it will probably concentrate its resistance on the permission to strike Sunday out of its profit-days. This is said to be an exceedingly severe blow to the trade, to many houses almost a ruinous one. There will also be much fighting over the formation of London into a county with a Lord-Lieutenant. This abolishes the Metropolitan Board of Works, the County Council taking its place, and interferes, to an extent we do not yet quite perceive, with both the prerogatives and the independence of "the City." It must, however, be carried out in some way, as otherwise there will be three County Councils exercising con- flicting jurisdiction within London. A compromise may possibly be effected by making the City a county; but we should say, on the whole, that the Metropolitan provisoes would be carried through. The Metropolitan Members, now a large body, evidently approve them.
