Lords Sitting of 8 March 1877

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILL—First Reading—Consolidated Fund (£350,000).
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES (ANIMALS) ACT, 1869—THE RECENT PROCLAMATIONS.

  OBSERVATIONS. QUESTIONS.
  EARL FORTESCUEsaid, he wished to put a Question to the noble Duke the President of the Council, of which he had given him private Notice. Representations had been made to him, as President for this year of the Central Chamber of Agriculture, as to the difficulty of getting copies of the recent Proclamations and Orders in Council respecting the Cattle Plague. As persons were liable to punishments for contravention of the Orders contained in that Proclamation, it was desirable that a wide circulation should be given to the document. Hethereforebeggedto ask the Lord President, Whether he could

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  give any further facilities for making the Orders in Council known in the agricultural districts?
  THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONagreed with his noble Friend that, inasmuch as penalties were attached to contravention of the Orders contained in the Proclamation, as much publicity as possible ought to be given to the document. All Orders in Council that bad been issued on the subject were published in The London Gazette, and had been sent to the local authorities as soon as published; also to all the inspectors acting under the local authorities, to all railway companies, shipowners, and agricultural societies, Foreign Ministers, and other companies or authorities who were supposed to be interested in the perusal of such Orders. Copies were also supplied to every one who made application for them at the Veterinary department; and the gentleman who had that department under his control had informed him that during the last 10 years no such application had been refused. But as his noble Friend seemed to think there ought to be a further circulation of the Proclamation to which he had referred, instructions had been issued to the Queen's Printers to sell copies of that Proclamation at a small charge.
  EARL FORTESCUEasked, Whether the noble Duke could give any information as to the present state of the Cattle Plague, in addition to that which had been given in "another place" by the Vice President of the Council?
  THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONdid not know what was the information given by the Vice President of the Council, and referred to by his noble Friend. If what his noble Friend wanted to know was whether there had been any fresh case, he had to answer that unfortunately there had been one more case at Hull within the last 48 hours. However, stringent measures of precaution had been taken, and he hoped the disease would not spread. Indeed, he thought it could not.
  House adjourned at half-past Five o'clock, till To-morrow, half past Ten o'clock.