§ SIR SEYMOUR KINGI beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his attention has been called to the fact that, at a, late meeting of the Hull Corporation Sanitary Committee, it was reported that some fruit arriving on a cholera ship had been destroyed by their officers, and the owners had claimed compensation, which was paid by the Corporation: also that, at the meeting, it was stated that the destination of the fruit was an inland town in the West Riding; and whether it is the intention of the Government to continue to impose on the ports the entire cost of compensating in like cases for the destruction 318 of cargo which might be a danger to the health of such inland towns?
§ * MR. H. H. FOWLER (who replied) saidMy right hon. Friend has asked me to answer this question. I am informed that the Sanitary Authority of Hull have made a certain payment as compensation in respect of fruit which was destroyed last autumn by the Medical Officer of Health. The compensation paid was half the amount claimed, and the payment was made without prejudice and without admitting liability, and on the ground that the officer had not acted in accordance with the Cholera Regulations. In the case of a ship infected with cholera it devolves on the master of the ship to cause to be disinfected or destroyed, according to the directions of the Medical Officer of Health, any articles which may probably be infected with cholera; and no compensation is, in the opinion of the Local Government Board, payable by the Sanitary Authority in respect of articles so disinfected and destroyed.