§ [The Bill having been Committed, Recommitted, and Considered as Amended, without having been re-printed, great difficulty has been experienced in following out the Motions for Amendments, particularly those of which no Notice had been given. When a Clause has been agreed to, with or without Amendment, the small figures added refer to the No. of the corresponding Clause in the re-print of the Bill No. 32.]
§ Bill, as amended, considered.
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§
MR. LOCKE KING moved to leave out Clause 21, and insert the following clause:—
Any calf, if sound, not being more than twenty-one days old, may, notwithstanding anything in this Act, he moved with a licence on any public highway from any place where the same shall have been dropped to any other place, not being more than ten miles from such place, upon a bona fide purchase of the same by the occupier of the place to which the same shall be so removed.
§ Clause brought up, and read the first time.
§ Motion made, and Question, "That the said clause be now read a second time," put, and negatived.
§ New Clause (Penalty on moving Contrary to Act,)—(Mr. Hunt,)—agreed to, and added to the Bill. [cl. 14.]
§
MR. BAKING moved the following clause:—
When by any Act of Parliament it is enacted that any payment, compensation, or allowance shall or may be made by any local authority to any owner or keeper of cattle slaughtered under or in pursuance of any direction or power in any such Act contained, such enactment shall not extend or apply to the case of cattle arriving by sea at any port within twenty-four hours of such arrival.
§ Clause brought up, and read the first time.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the said clause be now read a second time."
§ GENERAL DUNNEopposed the clause. He objected to Irish cattle being dealt with in the same manner as cattle imported from abroad as far as regarded compensation, while the owners of the latter cattle were allowed advantages not given to those of the former.
COLONEL GREVILLEreminded the hon. Gentleman the Under Secretary that the cattle disease had not appeared in Ireland.
§ MR. FLEMINGsuggested that on the arrival in this country of cattle from Ireland or abroad the number of living animals should be compared with the number shipped, and if it was found that any animal had died on the passage all the remaining ones should be destroyed.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.
§ Clause withdrawn.
§
MR. BARING moved the following clause:?—
From and after the passing of this Act any Officer of Customs shall seize any meat imported or brought into the United Kingdom which is unfit for human food, or likely to spread the
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cattle plague, or any other disease, and shall seize all hides, hoofs, horns, and other parts of any animal which may be found likely to spread such plague or disease; and such meat, hides, hoofs, horns, and other parts of any animal shall, after seizure thereof, be destroyed in such manner as the Commissioners of Customs may direct.
§ Clause agreed to, and added to the Bill. [cl. 52.]
VISCOUNT CRANBOURNEcalled attention to the fact that in the preamble to the Bill a number of symptoms were set forth as those by which an animal suffering from cattle plague might be recognized. From the construction of the clause it might be held that as this was a penal Act no animal could be slaughtered under it unless it had all those symptoms. He therefore moved that those words should be omitted from the preamble.
§ Words struck out.
§ MR. BARING moved to insert a new clause (Evidence of Orders).
§ MR. WALPOLEsaid, that under the former Act of Parliament it had been found necessary to indemnify all parties who had acted under the Orders in Council, and it would be very desirable to introduce some clause specifying the kind of Orders they should pass, because if they should pass Orders in Council as extensive as those now in force, they might have to come to Parliament again for an indemnity.
MR. BARINGsaid, he was quite aware of the importance of the point to which the right hon. Gentleman had referred.
§ Clause agreed to, and added to the Bill.
§ [cl. 5.]
§ On Motion that the Bill be read a third time,
§ SIR GEORGE GREYsaid, he thought it would be found impossible to apply any one rule to various parts of the country, because the local authority and other circumstances differed so much in character; and he feared that the Bill would in consequence tend to spread the disease rather than check it.
§ MR. HUNTremarked that if the right hon. Gentleman held the opinion he expressed it was a pity he had allowed the Bill to pass.
§ MR. DALGLISHsaid, the Bill had been passed very hastily, and he feared it would prove a crude measure in many respects.
§ SIR JAMES FERGUSSONobserved, that the Bill had been very carefully considered and passed in opposition to the 1059 Government measure. He was sure the thanks of the House and country were due to his hon. Friend (Mr. Hunt) for the trouble he had taken in respect of the matter. He felt convinced the measure would not be found ineffectual for its object.
§ Bill read the third time, and passed; to be printed. [Bill 34.]