§ Lieut.-Colonel Lockwoodasked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that out of a consignment of 200 monkeys from Lagos, shipped to this country on the ss. "Mahout," which reached Tilbury on 25th April last, 102 had died en route; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made into the circumstances and take steps to restrict the importation of such animals in future, in view of the high rate of mortality in transit.
Mr. H. WilsonThe rate of mortality in this particular shipment of monkeys, which was consigned from Calcutta and not Lagos, was exceptionally high and I understand that the importers are still investigating the cause. For some years the import of monkeys from Commonwealth countries has been permitted under open general licence and I see no reason to restrict such imports.