§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURYsaid, he desired to ask the Lord President of the Council a Question on a subject which had obtained much notoriety, in a great measure through the efforts of The British Medical Journal, the conductors of which had incurred considerable trouble and expense in searching into this abominable system. The system might be divided into two parts. One, and a comparatively legitimate part, was the baby nursing where infants were placed out to nurse by persons who really looked after them to some extent; the other part was the baby farming, where infants were put out for the sole purpose of being got rid of altogether, or of never being heard of again by the parents. To the class of persons who made this a trade belonged Mrs. Winsor, who escaped from punishment by a strange technicality in the law; and there was every reason to believe that these Mrs. Winsors were numerous, and were carrying on a large trade in many parts of the kingdom. Such a state of things had excited, very naturally, much terror. What, it was asked, could be the state of our laws when they were found so ineffectual as to be totally unable to put down such practices? On the other hand there were persons who relied on the known inefficiency of the law to enter on a career of crime, and the knowledge that this crime existed and was not suppressed produced the worst effect, for it familiarized the public in the most frightful manner with the perpetration of crime, and taught them that it was not to be reached by the law. Under these circumstances he begged to ask the Lord President of the Council, Whether the attention of the Government has been directed to the System of Baby Farming; and, if so, whether they intend to institute any Inquiry into the subject?
§ THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGHsaid, that owing to the Notice of this Question which had been given by his noble Friend, he had caused some inquiries to be made into the subject. Unfortunately it was too true that a system of what was called baby farming existed, under which the grossest crimes might be committed. His noble Friend had asked whether the Government intended to institute any inquiry into the subject? but probably the object which his noble Friend had in view might be somewhat defeated if the Government were to institute such an inquiry. He believed 1897 that the facts were not such as to demand inquiry. The system was well known. Persons who had an unnatural desire to get rid of their children put them out to nurse in the charge of those who, by neglect or other methods with which they were familiar, probably brought about the deaths of these poor infants. It was intolerable that such nets as these should be committed in a civilized country, and yet escape without punishment by the law. But the matter was rather one of police than of sanitary investigation. Measures might be adopted for putting an end to so inhuman a practice, either by registering the houses of persons taking these children to nurse, or by a system of licensing combined with periodical inspection by properly qualified officers. He was glad the noble Earl had asked the Question, because this was a Subject of great importance. Government would turn their attention to it during the Recess, and he hoped they would be able to discover means which, embodied in a Bill, would obviate the dangerous abuses to which attention had been directed.