The Royal Commission appointed to inquire into local govern- iment
and taxation in Ireland is diligently pursuing its investiga- tions, and is bringing to light evidence which strongly shows the need of reform. In Limerick, which is one of the few corporate towns now remaining in the island, a Dr. O'Sullivan deposed that the Corporation makes no use of Barrington's Hospital or the Infirmary for the cure of infectious diseases, but sends all to the workhouse hospital. He adds that there is no ambulance for the removal of the sick, and no mortuary ; and that washing the houses is the only means of disinfection resorted to. Mr. W. Spaight, formerly a member of the Corporation, accused his fellow-members of having purchased the gas-works,—" a ricketty, worn-out, insolvent concern,"—because the works belonged to friends and relations of the majority. Lastly, Mr. Hall, an ex- mayor, also characterised the purchase as "a job," and asserted that the Corporation had obtained the loan of money from the Treasury through political "influence." It is only proper to re- mind the reader that both Mr. Spaight and Mr. Hall are opposed in politics to the majority of the Corporation, that Mr. Spaight admits having lost his seat in the Council through "a touch of the religious difficulty," and that Mr. Hall actively opposed the loan referred to. Where religious and party strife run so high, charges of corruption require to be sifted.
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