§ EARL DE LA WARR,in asking if Her Majesty's Government would consent to lay on the Table of the House, the Orders issued by the Privy Council to regulate the transit of cattle by land and sea, said, it would be in the recollection of their Lordships that such Orders had been issued by the Privy Council, and his object in asking that the Papers should be laid on the Table was to see how far they would be affected by the measure which was then under the consideration of the House, and which touched, though lightly, upon the subject, and did not materially alter the existing law. He believed that there was a large amount of suffering, and not unfrequently, inflicted upon cattle which were brought from foreign countries, as well as for some parts of Her Majesty's Dominions—he alluded especially to Ireland. He would not go into details at that time, but wait till the Papers were before them. If he were asked to propose a remedy for the existing state of things, he should say that there ought to be embodied in an Act of Parliament very stringent and penal regulations with regard to the accommodation on board those ships which were provided for the conveyance of cattle, and that under no circumstances should more than a certain number be permitted to be conveyed in a ship, the tonnage of which did not exceed a given amount. Under the 1032 regulations which now existed, it might sometimes happen that cattle were allowed to remain for 30 hours without a supply of water. He was quite aware that railway companies had made some important arrangements, tending to alleviate the sufferings of the animals carried over their several lines of railway, in supplying each with a sufficient cubic space and with a supply of food and water; but he thought it would be quite possible to make further improvements; and there ought to be an Act of Parliament to regulate everything connected with the subject, as it was a very important one, when they considered how large a number of cattle was brought to this country both by land and sea.
THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDON,in reply, said, that he sympathized in the noble Earl's views. The Government had no objection to produce the Orders to which the noble Earl had alluded, and which were contained in the "Animals Order, 1875,"issued under the Statute intituled the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1869. If the noble Earl would move for their production, there would be no objection to the Motion.
§ EARL DE LA WARRmoved for Copy of Orders issued by the Privy Council to regulate the transit of cattle by land and sea.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Ordered to be laid before the House.