MR. HERBERT KNATCHBULL HUGESSEN (N.E. Kent, Faversham)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether there has been an authentic case of rabies in East Kent, during the last 12 months; if so, would he state where; and, if not, if he will now withdraw the Dog-Muzzling Order as far as regards that district?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. CHAPLIN, Lincolnshire, Sleaford)If the hon. Member's question applies strictly to East Kent, there has been no ease of rabies in that division of the county, but there have been 39 outbreaks of rabies in the county as a whole. The disease has, unfortunately, been spreading from West to East for some time past, and some cases have occurred in West Kent so near the boundaries as to render it extremely inadvisable to withdraw the Order applying to East Kent. I regret exceedingly to have to impose an Order involving inconvenience and annoyance to anybody, but I hope that it will be necessary to enforce it for a limited period only.
§ MR. H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSENIs the right hon. Gentleman able to state the nearest point in West Kent to East Kent where an outbreak has occurred?
§ MR. CHAPLINAs far as I am informed the nearest point was within eight or ten miles of the Eastern division of the county.
§ MR. H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSENWhere? Can the right hon. Gentleman give the name of the place?
§ MR. CHAPLINI think it was Yalding, but I am speaking from memory only.
§ MR. H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSENThat is some miles away from East Kent.