Sir HERBERT ROBERTSasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention had been drawn to the resolution passed by the Denbighshire County Council on the 10th inst. protesting against the Swine Fever Order dated September 1911; and whether, in view of the general freedom from the disease in the county for some time past he was in a position to make a statement as to its withdrawal?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Runciman)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. I do not see my way to withdraw the Order in question in view of the fact that it is based upon the unanimous recommendations of the recent Departmental Committee on Swine Fever, but I am prepared to consider any suggestions for its modification which are not inconsistent with the eradication of the disease, an object of as much importance to Welsh as to English agriculturists.
§ Mr. STANIERasked the President of the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that the Departmental Committee that inquired into swine fever stated in its Report that the cost of washing carts should be paid for by Government; and whether he will state why the Board are now asking the local authorities to pay the cost?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANIf the hon. Member will refer again to the Report of the Committee he will see that the Committee did not recommend that the expenses incurred by local authorities in carrying out the orders of the Board should be defrayed out of Imperial funds. Their proposal was that the whole of the expenditure incurred direct by the Board should be borne by the Exchequer, or, in other words, that it should not be met in part, as heretofore, by drafts on the local taxation account.
§ Mr. STANIERIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the word "direct" is not used in the Report?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANIt does not matter much whether it was used or not, since the Report is perfectly clear. No reference is made in the Report to the expenses incurred by the local authorities.
§ Mr. STANIERasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he could give the number of local authorities who are unable to carry out the Board's order to wash out carts used for the conveyance of pigs to markets or auctions owing to the cost; and whether the Government mean to give a grant to reimburse the local authorities' expenses?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANRepresentations have been made to the Board by certain local authorities as to the difficulties and cost of executing and enforcing the Order recently issued on the subject in conformity with the recommendations of the Departmental Committee of which the hon. Member for the Rye Division was the chairman, but I do not think that any of them can be said to be unable to carry it out. With regard to the second part of the question I can only refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave last Wednesday on the subject.