§ SIR CHARLES CAMERON (Glasgow, Bridgeton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the statement made by the chairman of the Improved Cab Company at a meeting of shareholders on the 14th instant, in which he stated that throughout the year the general health and working condition of the company's horses have been mossatisfactory, that there had been an entire absence of contagious disease in the stud, which it is believed was largely due to precautionary measures adopted about five years ago when glanders was epidemic in London. Strict orders were then issued prohibiting drivers from watering the company's horses at public watering troughs, and an inspector was appointed to watch the troughs and prevent drivers from evading the rule, that glanders in London would be almost exterminated if these public drinking troughs were done away with and re- 1381 placed by taps, and that this had been stated by Professor Pritchard and other authorities over and over again; and whether the Board of Agriculture have any reason to believe in the agency of public drinking troughs in disseminating diseases.
* MR. LONGI have seen the statement to which the hon. Baronet refers. So far as the prevention of the spread of glanders is concerned, our view is that standpipes afford a safer means of watering horses than troughs as they are usually constructed, but it is desirable that drivers should carry their own pails. I am not prepared, however, to say that the disadvantages of troughs outweigh their advantages.
§ COLONEL LOCKWOOD (Essex, Epping)Has any case of glanders ever been traced to infection from water-troughs?
* MR. LONGI believe that is so. As to the question of the hon. Member for Epping, I should not like to say that no cases have ever been traced to this source of infection, and I therefore gave the answer I did to the hon. Baronet.