§ Mr. Naylorasked the Minister of Agriculture what restrictions apply to the outdoor and indoor sale of day-old chickens in London; and whether the description "day-old" is to be taken literally as 24 hours, or broadly interpreted when the chicks are hatched in provincial hatcheries and sold in London next morning, thus exceeding 24 hours by a narrow margin.
Mr. T. WilliamsMy Department has not imposed any restriction on the sale of day-old chicks in London. The order which prohibits the sale of live poultry in London and certain other places does not apply to day-old chicks. The expression "day-old chick" is not defined in the order, but it has a generally accepted meaning in the poultry trade which does not restrict it to chicks that are literally no more than 24 hours old. An authoritative interpretation of the order can only be given by the courts, but I have no doubt that, in considering the interpretation of this expression, the courts would have regard to its generally accepted meaning in the trade.