§ MR. HALLEY STEWART (Lincolnshire, Spalding)asked the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Agriculture, How many outbreaks of pleuro-pneumonia have occurred in England and Scotland during the present year; how many districts have been declared infected; in how many instances have the Privy Council declared a locality to be "an area infected with pleuro-pneumonia," and the extent in square miles of the largest "area" so declared; and, in how many instances have the Privy Council, in opposition to the wishes of the Local Authorities, ordered the compulsory slaughter of healthy cattle which had been in contact with infected cattle?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)(who replied) said, 153 outbreaks of pleuro-pneumonia had been reported in England and 224 in Scotland up to July 16; 146 infected places had been declared in England and 226 in Scotland during the above period. The Privy Council had declared three infected areas in England and 12 in Scotland on account of pleuro-pneumonia. The largest area was in Scotland—namely, the County of Lanark, which contained 889 square miles. The Privy Council had not in any case ordered the compulsory slaughter of healthy cattle which had been in contact with infected cattle against the wishes of the Local Authorities.