The Outbreak of Cattle-Plague. 
235 
•disease had appeared have heen bought by these batchers. If he himself 
were to go to a place where disease exists, and brought not so much as a 
patch of dung on his boots away with him, if he went to another shed he 
would be certain to carry the infection. Thus it would be seen how absolutely 
necessary it was to have a controlling power, who would enforce the laws 
relating to cattle-plague ; and in his opinion the local authorities were not 
sufficiently well acquainted with the precautions which it was necessary to 
•take. Therefore we must have, he thought, in this country a " centralised 
power," and, of course, that "centralised power" must be the Government. 
It appeared to him to be absolutely necessary for another reason — viz. that 
we cannot isolate an infected place in the same manner that it is isolated on 
'the Continent. The liberty of the subject here will not allow it. We have 
proof upon proof of the easiness with which cattle-plague can be got rid of 
where complete isolation is maintained, as on the Continent, clearly showing 
that the theory of contagion being conveyed in the air has no foundation what- 
•ever. On the Continent, when cattle-plague appears, a cordon is immediately 
drawn round the infected place, and not only is no individual allowed to go 
within it, but the cordon is kept up with the same.severity for three weeks after 
killing the last animal. The Government kills all the animals on the place, 
and allows compensation to the owners. We cannot do that ; we cannot isolate 
to the same extent. It is something remarkable the way in which isolation 
is carried out in Germany. If the disease occurs in a village, the church is 
•closed, and no assemblage is allowed to take place under any circumstances. 
If a high road runs through the infected district, people are not allowed to 
pass along it unaccompanied with a guard. Indeed, to use a homely phrase, 
the place for the time being is, as it were, put out of existence. Finding, as 
we do, that the result of this system is that the cattle-plague is very easily 
got rid of, we must adopt a somewhat similar method ; and it seemed to him 
that the right and proper thing to do was to take possession of all animals, 
whether healthy or diseased, in an infected place, and have them all killed at 
the outset, and every one of them buried, allowing no salvage at all. Let the 
whole expense of this be borne by the Government. If we were to adopt a 
strong measure like this with the first outbreak, it seemed to him that cattle- 
plague would at once be stamped out. It was the only direction they could 
safely go in if we would not witness a recurrence of things which took place in 
1865. He knew that during the last great outbreak in one part of the country, 
which, however, he could not mention, a strong suspicion existed that cattle- 
plague was intentionally kept alive. He communicated his fears to the head 
■ of the Veterinary Department of the Privy Council, from whom he received in- 
structions to act, as the chief inspector, and to go down and stamp out the 
disease. He went down and killed and buried one herd completely, allowing no 
salvage whatever. He repeated that dose three times, and the result was that 
the cattle-plague was at once and entirely stamped out of that district. This 
shows that where cattle-plague keeps going on as it is doing at the present 
time — and no one knows where it may ultimately travel to — it is absolutely 
necessary to deal in no half-measures, but to take prompt and decisive action. 
Earl Spencer thought the remarks of Professor JSimonds were very valuable, 
.and the more widely they were made known the better it would be for the 
country. With regard to the cattle- plague, we could not impress upon the 
public too much the insidious nature of the disease. He thought the reso- 
lution which the Committee had come to, and wished to press upon the 
'Government, was very opportune, and should be adopted. Up to this time 
the Government have had a good deal to be said in favour of the view they 
took, that it was impossible to adopt uniform measures all over the country, 
.tis there were circumstances which made it difficult to pursue that course. 
I3ut when we come to imminent danger, and have to deal with a smaller dis- 
