Stag Hunting (Hansard, 17 April 1957)

§ Mr. Brockway

Mr. Speaker, with your permission and the permission of the House, I desire to present a Petition which would have the purpose of making stag hunting illegal. This Petition is signed by 5,000 people, mostly in the neighbourhood of Slough, and it is particularly significant that these signatures were collected in three weeks by Mrs. Mary Suff and her daughter Avril, alone. The signatures include those of priests of the Catholic Church, clergymen of the Anglican Church, ministers of the Free Church, aldermen and councillors, medical practitioners and workers and their wives. The Petition

Sheweth: That we the undersigned, are appalled by the widespread activity of stag hunting in this country and consider it unbefitting a civilised community and entailing extreme cruelty to animals. Wherefore, your Petitioners pray that legislation be introduced to prohibit stag hunting, making it an offence punishable by imprisonment. And your Petitioners, as in duty hound, will ever pray. As I have read out the Petition, I will not ask you to request the Clerk of the House to read it.