§ MR. THORNTON(for Mr. MACDONA,) Southward, RotherhitheI beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether 1581 he is aware that a boy in Webb's Horse Hair Bedding Factory, Worcester, died about a fortnight since from anthrax, caught in handling horse hair which was imported from Russia through Antwerp; and. whether he can take any steps to guard against the danger thus shown to exist?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD (Mr. H. H. FOWLER,) Wolverhampton, E.The report of the proceedings at the inquest on the case in question has been brought under my attention. The verdict of the jury was that the death was from anthrax. It appeared from the evidence that the bales of horsehair, unopened and whole, were thrown into tanks and boiled for three or four hours; and, according to the evidence of one of the owners of the works, further means of disinfection are proposed. The jury suggested that representations should be made in favour of some means of disinfecting the bales before sending them to England, but I am advised that no reliance could be placed on such means of disinfection as would be practised at the ports of Eastern Europe, &c, whence the hair is mostly exported. If such processes superseded the precautions now taken there would be greater danger than is now the case.