§ SIR WILFRID LAWSONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it be true, as reported in the Cork daily papers of the 29th May, that a duly convened meeting of the City Magistrates was held on the previous day, at which it was resolved that, following the precedent of last year, no occasional licences for the sale of intoxicating liquors should be granted for the Cork Races on the 7th June; whether one magistrate has defeated the objects of the proceedings of the meeting by signing the necessary certificates for such licences; the other two magistrates on the Bench at the time, one of whom was not present at the meeting, stating they could not be parties to ignoring the resolution arrived at; if it be true that, on the last occasion when these licences were issued, a serious riot, which endangered the peace of the City, originated in one of the drinking tents; and, whether he will communicate with the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, who are empowered to grant such licences, when they consider that doing so will "conduce to public convenience, comfort, and order," before they act on the certificates?
§ MR. TREVELYANThe facts are quite correctly stated in the Question of the hon. Baronet. The attention of the Government has not been drawn to the matter by the magistrates; and in the absence of any representations on the subject from those who are the responsible authorities for preserving the peace 80 of their City, I do not consider that any action is called for on the part of the Executive Government.