§ MR. STEPHENSI beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, having regard to the importance of preventing the further development of rabies, and to the slight advantage and consequent difficulty under present circumstances of maintaining the muzzling order in the county of Middlesex, he will as soon as possible give effect to his statement that a muzzling order for the whole of the Metropolitan area would be issued by the Board of Agriculture; and whether he can now give the date when such order will be issued?
§ *THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. WALTER LONG () Liverpool, West DerbyThe 1604 new orders which I have it in contemplation to make with regard to rabies will be issued with the least possible delay, but I would point out that those orders are intended to give effect to the recommendation of the Departmental Committee that a determined and systematic attempt should be made to stamp out rabies not only in the Metropolitan area but throughout the United Kingdom. The adoption of this policy involves the settlement of several difficult questions which are now engaging my active consideration, but, in any event, adequate notice of the new requirements must be given to the public before they can take effect. In these circumstances I have suggested for the consideration of the Middlesex Council whether the most convenient course to be taken by them during the interim would not be that their regulations should be brought into harmony with those now in force in the other districts comprised within the Metropolitan area.
§ MR. STEPHENSasked whether the light hon. Gentleman meant that the Middlesex County Council should take off the order now?
§ *MR. LONGThe Middlesex County Council must take the course which in their judgment is the best in the interests of those over whom they have jurisdiction. I think that it might be more convenient that there should be an interregnum.