§ MR. HARRY FOSTER (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether four years ago the Army horses suffered severely from farcy and glanders; whether the Army stables are now practically free from the diseases; and, if so, how this result was arrived at; and whether he can inform the House what measures were taken to stamp out the diseases, and with what result?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo horse in the Army the property of the Government has been affected with farcy or glanders during very nearly the last five years. The Army stables are free from the disease, as a result of good sanitary measures and of precaution against contagion.
§ MR. T. M. HEALY (Louth, N.)Is the absence of this disease due in any sense to the use of Warner's Safe Cure?
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder order!
§ MR. HARRY FOSTERI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, on his advent to office, his attention was drawn to an important increase in the epidemic of farcy or 390 glanders raging among horses, more especially among those stabled in the Metropolis, and to the highly infectious character of the disease and serious danger to human life; whether it has been satisfactorily proved that the most efficacious method of stamping out the disease is the compulsory slaughter of all affected or suspected animals, with the payment of limited compensation to the owners, so that the temptation to conceal the disease, and so spread infection, should be reduced to a minimum; whether the London County Council, as the Local Authority for the Metropolis, have declined to exercise the powers conferred by the Order known as "The Glanders or Farcy Order, 1892," empowering the Local Authority to exercise compulsory powers of inspection and slaughter, with such limited compensation, and providing that if the Local Authority failed to exercise such powers the Board of Agriculture should compel them to do so; whether it is a fact that upwards of 90 per cent. of the cases of farcy or glanders, during the last year, occurred in the Metropolitan area; whether the refusal of the London County Council has his approval; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to insure the provisions under the Order being properly carried out; and whether he proposes to issue any further Orders on the subject, and when?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. H. GARDNER,) Essex, Saffron WaldenSoon after my advent to office my attention was drawn to the increase of glanders and farcy, and to the fact that upwards of 90 per cent. of the cases occurred in the Metropolitan area. In September last I issued an Order which, amongst other things, empowered Local Authorities to slaughter diseased or suspected animals on payment of a limited measure of compensation. I believe that the adoption of that course would necessarily have the beneficial effect indicated in the question, but the London County Council decided that they were not justified in incurring the heavy expenditure which the payment of compensation would entail. I view their decision with regret; but, at the same time, it is quite open to the County Council to argue that by the active enforcement of the other provisions of the Order they can achieve the desired result at 391 much less cost to the ratepayers, and this view is to some extent confirmed by the fact that the number of horses reported to have been attacked during the current year shows a substantial falling off: as compared with the corresponding period of last year, the numbers being respectively 433 and 486. In those circumstances, I do not contemplate taking any further steps at the present moment, but I shall continue to give my close attention to this important subject.
§ MR. FOSTERDoes the right hon. Gentleman still adhere to the opinion he expressed to a deputation on the 20th January last, that he had learned the action of the London County Council with surprise and regret, as he believed the payment of compensation under his Order would have been of material assistance in stamping out the disease?
§ MR. GARDNERIf the hon. Gentleman will read the whole of my remarks he will find I said that if the action of the Order was not satisfactory I should be prepared to reconsider my decision.