The first and second amendments were made by the Senand at my request and may be taken together. The purpose of the amendments was to meet the demand that soem little precaution should be taken towards further ensuring the safety of the public travelling in carriages allowed to ply for hire on the streets of Dublin during this Congress period.

The third amendments meets a point raised in this House. Deputy Cosgrave alluded to it and it ensures by statute what I hoped and believed would be ensured by the voluntary action of the licensed trade itself, namely, that during the ordinary Sunday hours of opening here, in the county borough of Dublin of Sunday, 26th the licensed houses would remain closed — in other words, that the hours 2 to 5 in the county borough would be prohibited hours as they are prohibited hours elsewhere.

As regards the first two amendments, are we to understand that one of the principle intentions is that old vehicles brought to ply for hire in the city of Dublin will be required to run the gauntlet of some kind of vetting or inspection by the carriage inspector, or some person on his behalf, to ensure that mechanically defective vehicles will not be allowed to ply for hire?

The intention of the amendment is as has been stated by Deputy Mulcahy,. It is not to be expected that a very detailed examination, such as would take place in the ordinary course, will take place in this instance but the Commissioner of the Gárda Síochána and those acting with him will do their best to see that the vehicles are tolerably safe.