§ MR. WILBRAHAM EGERTONasked the President of the Board of Trade a Question of which he had given him private Notice—namely, Whether, in an answer given on Monday last, he had not attributed to Lord Vernon language which had really been used by the President of the Royal Agricultural Society?
§ MR. CHAMBERLAINSir, I have had the advantage of a conversation with Lord Vernon, and I am glad of an opportunity of correcting a mistake which seems to have caused Lord Vernon some little annoyance. It appears that the words which I quoted as having been spoken by Lord Vernon at a meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society were really spoken by the President, Mr. Dent. The mistake arose in this way. The Report from which I derived my information put these remarks down to the President, having previously spoken of Lord Vernon as Chairman, and hence my mistake. These remarks were to the effect that the introduction of lard or oleomargarine would enable dairy companies to work up their skim milk into a wholesome article of food; that the Council should be careful before writing to request the interference of the Board of Trade, as it was a question whether the public were not benefited by such forms of cheap and wholesome food. I am very glad to have the opinion of so eminent an authority as the President of the Royal Agricultural Society on this subject; and I may say that, from all the information I have been able to get, I am inclined to agree entirely with his view. These remarks were made by the President before Dr. Voelcker's Report, but after a statement by Dr. Voelcker, which his subsequent Report confirmed, that these cheeses were perfectly wholesome food. The letter from the Royal Agricultural Society was received on the 9th of June.