§ MR. GORE LANGTONsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether the Government have determined what compensation shall be given to owners of stock for loss on cattle slaughtered by order of Inspectors previous to the passing of the Cattle Plague Act?
§ SIR GEORGE GREYSir, the Government are not in possession of the full information which is necessary for the decision of this question. A circular was 1687 addressed some time ago from the Privy Council Office to the different local authorities throughout Great Britain with a view to obtain information with respect to cattle slaughtered by order of inspectors between the 26th of August and the 23rd of November last, at which date the power to slaughter ceased. The information required was the date of slaughter, the place where slaughtered, the name and address of the owner, the description of animal, and, if purchased within three weeks of the slaughter, the price that had been given for it, the market value when ordered to be slaughtered, and the compensation, if any, which had been received. Of the 356 local authorities to whom this circular was addressed in England returns have as yet been received from little more than one-half; and of the 108 to whom it was addressed in Scotland returns have been received only from seven. Of the actual estimated market value of the cattle slaughtered, according to these returns, compensation to a considerable amount, approaching nearly to one-third of the whole amount, has been already received from various sources.