§ LORD RICHARD GROSVENORasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he can give any information as to the number of cabs "setting down" patients at the small-pox hospitals within the metropolitan police districts during the last three months; and, whether it is true that a policeman is specially appointed to stand at the gate of small-pox hospitals to stop any cabs that have brought patients, and to have such cabs properly disinfected before they go out again to ply for hire?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSI have made inquiries of the police, and find there are four small-pox hospitals within the metropolitan police district—namely, at Highgate, Hampstead, Homerton, and Stockwell. The first named is a voluntary institution, and during the past three months no patients have been seen conveyed in cabs to that hospital. At Highgate invalid carriages belonging to the different parishes are in use. At Hampstead there has been no single instance during the present epidemic of a cab being used for carrying small-pox patients. At Homerton one case has occurred; the cab was disinfected by the police, and proceedings were taken against the offender for not informing the driver of the nature of the disease. Two instances have occurred at Stockwell. Both cabs were taken to the police-station and disinfected. In one case proceedings were taken, and the result was that the offender was fined £5. A constable is not specially stationed at the gates of the hospitals, but the porters have all strict orders to take down the number of any cab which appears with a patient in it, in order that the driver, and, if necessary, the hirer, may be brought to justice.