§ MR. COCHRANE-BAILLIE (St. Pancras, N.)asked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether the Government will act on the views strongly expressed by Professor Brown in his Report just published, and give instructions to the Sanitary Authorities to be more stringent in their supervision of dairies?
§ THE PRESIDENT (Mr. RITCHIE) (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)The Sanitary Authorities in England and Wales were constituted the Local Authorities for the purpose of the supervision of dairies and cowsheds by the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1886; and shortly after the passing of the Act the Local Government Board brought specially under the attention of the several Sanitary Authorities the new powers and duties which devolved upon them. The Regulations for the enforcement of the ventilation, drainage, water supply, and cleanliness of dairies and cowsheds, which had previously been made by the County Justices, are by the Act continued in force pending the making of new Regulations by the Sanitary Authorities. Since the date of the Act new Regulations have been made by nearly 450 authorities. In many of these cases the necessity for the action of the Sanitary Authorities arose from the fact that no Regulations on the subject had previously been made by the 843 Justices. I propose to communicate with the Sanitary Authorities in any districts in which there are now no Regulations in force as to dairies and cowsheds, with a view to the adoption of Regulations; and whenever it may appear, from the Reports of the Medical Officers of Health or otherwise, that due supervision of the dairies and cowsheds is not exercised in any particular district, I shall not fail to impress upon the Sanitary Authority how essential it is that this duty should be fully and carefully discharged.