§ MR. WILLIAM FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick's)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Report of the Tuberculosis Commission has been received, or when it may be expected; and is the destruction of animals, without compensation to the owner, to continue when the animals have been purchased in public market under the supervision of a Governmental veterinary surgeon inspector, but subsequently condemned by another authority?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. H. CHAPLIN, Lincolnshire, Sleaford)No, Sir; the Report of the Tuberculosis Commission has not been received, but I am informed by the Secretary to the Commission that the experiments undertaken are rapidly approaching termination, and that a number of valuable facts have been conclusively proved. There is still, however, a large amount of material to be examined microscopically, and it may be necessary to further examine scientific witnesses. For this reason it is impossible to fix with precision the date of the conclusion of the inquiry. In reply to the second paragraph of the hon. Member's question, I have to say that he is in error in supposing that animals can be destroyed by any public authority in consequence of being affected with 193 tuberculosis, and that such animals are purchased in public market under the supervision of a Governmental veterinary surgeon.