§ MR. STEVENSONOn behalf of the honourable Member for East Northampton, I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has considered the Report of the Commission on Tuberculosis as regards the successful adoption of the policy of gradual elimination of tuberculosis by the use of the tuberculin test in Denmark and elsewhere; whether he will take steps to carry out the recommendation of the Commission that properly prepared tuberculin, and the services of veterinary surgeons, should be provided by the State to enable agriculturists in this country to adopt the policy of elimination; and whether he will apply to the Treasury to sanction the small grant of £5,625 per annum which the Commission think sufficient to initiate this policy?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. W. H. LONG,) Liverpool, West DerbyI am afraid that as yet I can add nothing to what I said in reply to the Question addressed to me on this subject by the honourable Member in April last, except that since that time the Report of the Royal Commission has been fully considered by the Central Chamber of Agriculture, and that no desire was then manifested for the provision of facilities for the application of the tuberculin test. It is clear, I think, that I could not approach the Treasury on the subject with any hope of success until there is evidence that agriculturists really wish that their cattle should be subjected to the proposed test on the conditions suggested by the Commission.