NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THERE is a halt in the Irish negotiations. It was expected that by Thursday, when we write, a further com- munication would have been received from Dublin. But now there are rumours of delay. The Irish newspapers mostly seem to be fairly confident that there will be a settlement, and presumably they are relying upon information about what is going on behind the scenes, for the letters between the Prime Minister and Mr. Do Valera which have been published are not encouraging. Mr. Lloyd George has expressed his sense of the dangers of delay. Very likely he is much impressed by what is happening in Belfast, and possibly he had those troubles in his mind, for they were already brewing, when he wrote his last letter to Mr. Do Valera. It would be quite in accordance with the methods of the Sinn Fein leaders if while strictly observing the truce in their own part of Ireland (that would be good propaganda there) they stirred up trouble in another part of Ireland— believing that that also would be good propaganda of another kind.
