§ 8. Captain Pilkingtonasked the Minister of Agriculture how many alternatives to the gin trap have recently been submitted to his Department.
§ Sir T. DugdaleTen traps claimed to be alternatives to the gin have recently been submitted to me.
§ Captain PilkingtonIs it beyond the ingenuity of my right hon. Friend's Department to speed the matter up a little and adopt a suitable alternative?
§ Sir T. DugdaleI cannot go further than I did in the answer I gave last week. We are doing all we can. I am certain that the House realises that there is no disagreement on principle about the matter and that it is just a question of getting the right answer.
§ Mr. ChapmanIs the right hon. Gentleman having the traps tested, and how long does he expect that to take?
§ Sir T. DugdaleWide-scale tests are being conducted. I said last week that I hoped to have a report by May about what has been going on during the last trapping season.
§ Major Anstruther-GrayIs not my right hon. Friend aware that the method of netting rabbits has already proved itself to be satisfactory and that it does not need any more trying out? Will he encourage the use of that sensible method?
§ Sir T. DugdaleAs I told my hon. and gallant Friend last week, that method is satisfactory only on flat ground.
§ Mr. ManuelMiners can do it on any ground.