§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading, read.
THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNsaid, the object of this Bill was to enable police constables and other officials to order horses and other animals when mortally injured to be slaughtered without waiting for the arrival of the owner. The Bill proposed to give that power under conditions. By Section 2 any constable on receiving information that an animal had been seriously injured might obtain the opinion of the nearest duly registered veterinary surgeon, and upon his giving a certificate that the animal was either mortally or so seriously injured as not to be, probably, fit for use 393 again, the constable might cause the animal to be slaughtered. Section 3 provided for the expense which might be incurred in so slaughtering animals being charged to the owner, but the cost of the veterinary surgeon's certificate would be charged to the rates of the parish where the animals were found.
§ Moved, "That the Bill be now read 2a."—(The Earl of Camperdown.)
§ THE EARL OF CHESTERFIELDsaid, he was pleased to inform the noble Lord that as far as the Home Office was concerned no objection would be offered to the Second Reading of the Bill. On the contrary, as it gave statutory authority to a practice which had been already initiated by the Home Secretary under the Metropolitan Police Regulation at the commencement of the present year, it met with their hearty support. At the same time, to make the measure more practical and workable, the Home Office considered it would be necessary to introduce Amendments in the Committee stage. When the Bill was under discussion in another place those Amendments never came before the Committee, owing to some misunderstanding between the promoters of the Bill and the Homo Secretary. It would therefore be his duty at a future stage to move the same Amendments in this House.
§ Motion agreed to; Bill read 2a accordingly, and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next.