§ SIR STAFFORD NORTHCOTEI wish to ask the President of the Local Government Board, Whether his attention has been called to some cases of small-pox which are reported from North Devon, and which are supposed to have originated from foreign rags employed in certain paper mills? One death is stated to have occurred last week, and several other cases are mentioned. The attention of the Local Government Board is called to the subject, in the hope that some restriction or some inspection might be devised to check the introduction of infection by rags.
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKEThe matter is under consideration, and in the case of any strong probability appearing of the facts being true, an inquiry will be held to see the exact bearing of the matter. The Order lately issued by the Local Government Board has reference only to rags landed from Egypt, which was not the case in this instance. There has been in one a pretty clear instance of the introduction of small-pox by rags, although there has never been any case of the introduction of cholera by rags up to the present time.