MR. CARTERasked the Vice President of the Council, If he is in a position to hold out any hopes of being able, within a reasonable time, to remove the restrictions now in force on the free circulation in this Country of cattle imported from Prussia?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERreplied that by a recent Order German cattle were placed in the same position in which they were before the war with France; German sheep could now go into our inland markets unless they came in the same ship 473 with cattle, or they might go on after a certain delay. It would be impossible at present to have any further relaxation. The reason why the Government were unable to allow German cattle to be imported freely arose from the fact that they could not ensure that cattle coming from the Steppes were not imported from the German ports into this country. There was no doubt that there was danger of cattle plague from such cattle. The Government, too, had lately revoked the Order which required Dutch cattle to be slaughtered at the port at which they landed, Holland having taken measures of great stringency to prevent the importation of any cattle, and there having been no cattle plague in that country for three years.