§ Mr. LAURENCE HARDYTo ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his attention has been called to the 1320 report of the inquest on James Shaw who died on 8th February from glanders, and to the evidence which stated that deaths of human beings from this disease were much more frequent than was supposed; and whether he will now make a grant to the local authorities of the country from the National Exchequer in order to facilitate the stamping out of this terrible scourge to man and beast.
(Answered by Mr. Asquith.) I have seen accounts of the case referred to in the public Press. Under the new Order, which came into operation on the 1st proximo, the disease is now being dealt with much more effectively than in the past, and I trust that the steps which are being taken will prove efficacious in stamping it out altogether. The statutory duty of dealing with the matter rests with the local authorities, and the efficiency of the measures taken has no direct connection with the question of incidence of charge as between local and Imperial funds. This latter question must be considered on its merits in connection with the relations of local and national finance generally.