MR. PARKER SMITHI beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether his attention has been called to a recent case as to the 1205 inspection of meat in Glasgow, heard before Stipendiary Gemmel on the 3rd instant, and reported in the Glasgow papers of the 4th, in which it appeared in the evidence that meat submitted to the Police Inspectors in the Corporation market is constantly condemned without prosecution, but that meat in the market of the Glasgow Meat Market Company, to which the attention of the Inspector was specially called by the manager of the market, was seized, and a prosecution instituted; that the managers of the meat market have repeatedly invited the police to inspect the meat in their possession, and that the police have constantly declined; and whether, inasmuch as under "The Glasgow Police Act, 1890," it is the duty of the police to inspect meat exposed for sale at any place in the city, the police, in the exercise of their powers under this Act, are entitled to discriminate in favour of consigners who use the Corporation market and against those who use a private market?
§ *MR. J. P. B. ROBERTSONI have ascertained that the facts and proceedings referred to in this question are correctly stated. In the Corporation market the meat is condemned before it is exposed for sale, while in the prosecution complained of the meat was actually exposed for sale in the market of a private company. The police are empowered by the Act referred to to inspect meat in any place in the city, but the hon. Member will no doubt readily understand that it would be impracticable for them to make regular inspection of meat exposed on the premises of all private parties who might desire it. They therefore declined to undertake an inspection of meat exposed in this private market unless specially sent for. It is, of course, open to this company to have their meat regularly inspected at the public cost, if they follow the example of other dealers and take a stall in the Corporation market.