§ MR. T. DAVIESI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will inquire as to how far the restrictions imposed on the importation of cattle for slaughter into Great Britain by the Board of Agriculture are being 1367 kept up for a protectionist purpose, and not solely for the purposes for which powers were given by the Board of Agriculture by Section 25 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894.
§ SIR EDWARD STRACHEYMy right hon. friend has asked me to reply to this Question. My hon. friend will not expect me to assert that we have done more or less than our duty under the statutory provisions to which he refers.
§ MR. T. DAVIESI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that in consequence of the restrictions imposed on the importation of foreign cattle for slaughter into Great Britain, of 470,212 cattle imported in 1907, 344,461 came from the United States, and that of live and dead beef, including frozen and chilled, the United States provided 241,441 tons and Argentina 134,577 tons out of a total of 451,322 tons imported; and if he will cause inquiries to be made as to whether the imports of beef from the United States and a large proportion of those from Argentina are controlled by a few firms of Chicago meat packers.
§ SIR EDWARD STRACHEYMy right hon. friend has asked me to reply to this Question. The statistics cited by my hon. friend are practically correct. There is evidence to show that the reply to his second inquiry is in the affirmative.