536 VETEEINAEY HYGIENE 



than twenty-eight days. In the same year the Swine 

 Fever Compulsory Slaughter Order came into force but 

 was revoked after a few months. There was also revoked 

 an Order regarding the sale of swine, by which this could 

 be held only under definite conditions, and by licence in 

 certain districts. From 1886 to 1893 the policy of drift 

 was pursued, when finally, under pressure, the Central 

 Authority took up in the latter year the unenviable task 

 of stamping out the disease they had allowed to spread 

 throughout the Kingdom. 



In 1893 a Departmental Committee was appointed to 

 enquire into the provisions of the Contagious Diseases of 

 Animals Act, in so far as they related to Swine Fever, and 

 this Committee recommended the work of exterminating 

 the disease should be placed in the hands of the Central 

 Authority, and to give effect to this recommendation a 

 Swine Fever Act came into force at the end of 1893. This 

 Act constituted the Board of Agriculture the Central 

 Authority, and empowered them to slaughter and pay com- 

 pensation. 



For two years and a half — viz. up to 1896 — the Central 

 Authority relied on destruction of affected and in-contacts, 

 but unaided by restrictions on movements of swine in 

 infected localities, with a result that the returns showed 

 an increase instead of a diminution, while the money spent 

 on compensation was considerable. In 1896 the Swine 

 Fever Infected Areas Order came into force which made it 

 illegal to move any pig within the prescribed area unless it 

 appeared to be healthy, had been on the premises twenty- 

 eight days, and during that time had not been exposed to 

 contagion. Later in the same year a less stringent regula- 

 tion was issued, known as the Swine Fever Suspected 

 Zones Order, it dealt with movements of swine in localities 

 in which it was believed unreported cases had recently 

 occurred. 



The effect of the above orders of 1896 were very apparent 

 in the return for 1897, but in 1898 another rise occurred 

 probably due to a relaxation of restrictions^ while in 1899 



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