§ MR. C. E. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of convictions for infringement of the order for muzzling of dogs, for the last four or five years respectively in England?
§ *THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir MATTHEw WHITE RIDLEY,) Lancashire, BlackpoolI cannot give the hon. Member precisely the information he asks for, but I may quote the numbers given in the judicial statistics of persons proceeded against for offences generally in relation to dogs, a heading that includes, besides infringments of muzzling orders, infringements of certain statutory requirements as to keeping dogs muzzled or otherwise under proper control. The number of persons so proceeded against in the years 1893 to 1895 were 3,539, 9,265, and 31,434, of whom respectively 2,952, 7,803, and 27,527 were convicted. No doubt the great majority of the proceedings were for infringements of muzzling orders.