THE CHAMBER'S STATEMENT OF POLICY 23 



charged with the duty of visiting fairs, markets, and ports, to 

 see that local authorities, railway companies, wharfingers, 

 shipping agents, local inspectors, &c., attend to the respective 

 duties imposed on them by Orders in Council or Acts of Parliament. 



" 8. That the owner of any animal affected with a contagious 

 disease should be compelled to give immediate notice of such 

 case to the local officer, nor should such animal or those which 

 have been in contact be allowed to be removed, except for the 

 purpose of isolation, until the inspector reports them free from 

 disease. 



"9. That, upon the outbreak of contagious disease in any 

 locality, the local inspector should have the power of prohibiting 

 the movement of animals without an order from the infected 

 farm or premises, and, subject to the local authority, from any 

 adjoining lands or premises the local inspector may deem 

 requisite. 



" 10. That, whenever Foot and Mouth Disease or other con- 

 tagious maladies become general or dangerously prevalent, it 

 should be the duty of the Privy Council to order a temporary 

 stoppage of fairs and markets, and prohibition of removal of 

 animals except by licence. 



"11. That, in respect of Pleuro -Pneumonia, all affected 

 animals be at once slaughtered, and the hides and offal buried ; 

 that when immediate notice has been given, compensation be 

 made to the owners at the rate of three -fourths the value of each 

 animal, and the salvage of the carcase to belong to the owner 

 provided that the compensation and salvage together do not 

 exceed the full value of the animal. That the remainder of the 

 herd be isolated for a period of not less than eight clear weeks. 



" WILLIAM STBATTON, Chairman. 

 " Wth April, 1876." 



No reply was given until llth November, when a most 

 unsatisfactory letter was received from the Duke of Richmond ; 

 this was discussed at the December meeting and deferred for 

 further consideration to the next meeting. 



1877. 



This year was signalised by a fresh importation of Cattle 

 Plague (Rinderpest), which spread rapidly over a large part 

 of the country. This outbreak clearly demonstrated (1) the 

 inadequacy of the regulations dealing with imported animals, 

 and (2) the complete control over a contagious disease which 

 a central authority could attain if it took the obvious and 

 necessary action. 



