GLANDERS 59 



be justified in making a special grant from the Exchequer 

 after the fullest possible consideration, and there was no 

 prospect of any modification of his decision. 



The Board issued a new Glanders Order repealing and 

 amending the Order of 1894. The new Order allowed local 

 authorities to pay compensation up to one-half the value of 

 an animal, instead of one-fourth as previously, in cases of 

 horses slaughtered,, on the evidence of the mallein test, but 

 the old rate was retained so far as regarded animals showing 

 clinical evidence of disease. 



A considerable increase in the number of outbreaks of 

 Swine Fever caused the Council to express again their gravest 

 dissatisfaction with the policy of isolation persisted in by the 

 Board, and on three occasions during this year to urge the 

 Department to return- to the practice of slaughter with com- 

 pensation. The Board, however, expressed themselves " con- 

 fident that a steady persistence in the administrative measures 

 taken to control the disease will before long result in regaining 

 the ground which has unfortunately been lost." 



The Board this year adopted the policy which the Chambers 

 had been so long urging, and enforced the compulsory dipping 

 of sheep throughout the whole of Great Britain, while the 

 Department of Agriculture for Ireland adopted a similar 

 policy in that country. The Council, after consideration of 

 the Order, asked for greater stringency in its administration. 



The Bill to repeal the Act of 1896 was again introduced, 

 but. as it was not favoured in the ballot, was not discussed. 

 Sir Edward Strachey, speaking on behalf of the Government 

 on the Vote for the Board of Agriculture on 23rd May, gave 

 a decided refusal to a request that Deptford should be opened 

 for imported live stock, and the Council recorded their satis- 

 faction with the attitude he adopted. 



The London County Council again introduced a Bill, con- 

 taining some ill-considered and drastic milk clauses. These 

 were strongly opposed by the Parliamentary Committee, 

 and ultimately they were all withdrawn except the Model 

 Clauses. Several other private Bills contained the usual 

 Model Clauses, and following precedent these were not opposed. 



