§ DR. CAMERON (Glasgow, College)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will state to the House what arrangements have been made by the Admiralty to preclude the possibility in future of any of the beef and pork which is deemed unfit for consumption on board Her Majesty's ships finding its way on board the ships of the mercantile marine; and whether such arrangements are permanent and irrevocable; and, if not, 55 under what circumstances alone such arrangements can be ignored or revoked?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Lord G. HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingCircumstances wore brought to the notice of the Admiralty last year which, pointed to the possibility of meat sold as unfit for human food being brought again into the market as suitable for consumption. It was accordingly decided that in future condemned salt beef or pork should not be sold by public auction, but that it should instead be sent to soap-boilers for use in the soap-boiling trade; and it was also decided that the meat, before being sent to these firms, should be treated chemically in such a manner as to render it impossible that it should be again used for human food. These regulations are unconditional, and no departure from them is allowable, except with the direct sanction of the Board of Admiralty, and I do not conceive it to be likely that any Board of Admiralty would sanction any reversal of the present arrangement that might lead to any repetition of the abuse I have described.