XXXIX 
Report of Stock Prizes Committee. 
to the present they have not become 
affected, being at some distance 
from the homestead where the cattle 
are. Strict isolation has prevented 
the spread of the infection from the 
farmyard. The origin of the disease 
has not yet been made out. 
Swine Fever. — This disease is 
again increasing, there having been 
282 fresh outbreaks and 1,438 swine 
attacked, as compared with 207 
outbreaks and 1,410 swine attacked 
last year. 
Anthrax. — This disease shows 
a very marked increase in the 
present year as compared with the 
corresponding period of last year, 
there having been 62 outbreaks and 
142 animals attacked this year, and 
only 36 outbreaks and 62 animals 
attacked last year. 
Stock Prizes. 
Mr. Frankish reported that it had 
been incidentally ascertained that a 
new arrangement was about to be 
made by the railway companies under 
which unsold articles exhibited at 
agricultural shows were to be con- 
veyed back or transferred to another 
show at half rates, and men in charge 
of live stock were to pay half the 
ordinary fare on production of a cer- 
tificate signed by the secretary of the 
show. Having regard to the im- 
possibility of such a certificate being 
given by the secretary of a show, the 
Secretary had written to the General 
Manager of the London and North- 
Western Railway Company, explain- 
ing that the responsibility of signing 
such a certificate as that suggested 
must obviously rest upon the exhibi- 
tors themselves. The terms of the 
Secretary’s letter, as below, had been 
approved by the Committee, and he 
had been authorised to acquaint the 
railway company with this fact, and 
to ask for a reconsideration of the 
decision. 
[copy.] 
Royal Agricultural Society of England, 
12, Hanover Square, London, W. 
February 18, 1893. 
Dear Sir, — My attention has been 
called to a new arrangement that, 
as I understand, is about to be 
made by the railway companies, 
under which unsold articles exhi- 
bited at agricultural shows are to 
be conveyed back or transferred to 
another show at half rates, and men 
in charge of live stock are to pay 
half the ordinary fare on produc- 
tion of a certificate signed by the 
Secretary of the Shorn. 
I shall be glad if you will kindly 
inform me officially whether this 
is correct, in order that I may 
report the matter formally to the 
Council, in view of this Society’s 
Meeting at Chester next June. 
I venture, at the same time, to 
draw your attention to the im- 
possibility of the secretary of a 
show certifying that certain goods 
of a particular exhibitor are unsold, 
or that specified individuals are 
travelling with, and bond fide in 
charge of, consignments of stock. 
For a very long period the forms 
which I enclose herewith have been 
in use by this Society with the 
sanction and approval of the rail- 
way companies. On forms A and B 
I certify, as I am able to do, that 
an entry for exhibition at the 
Meeting has been made by a par- 
ticular exhibitor ; but the declara- 
tion (required for the return 
journey) that the articles are un- 
sold has to be made by the exhi- 
bitor himself. The exhibitor also 
has to certify on forms C and D 
that a particular individual is in 
charge of certain specified animals, 
and is therefore entitled to a free 
pass. It is obvious that this is 
a matter which must rest upon the 
responsibility of the exhibitors 
themselves, and that it would be 
impossible for me to issue certifi- 
cates in the proposed new form 
except in blank, which would defeat 
the object which the companies 
apparently have in view. 
I would venture, therefore, to 
submit that it would be far better 
and safer to impose the duty of 
making the declaration upon the 
persons really responsible, viz. the 
exhibitors, as has been the case up 
to the present time. 
If desired, the forms for enabling 
men in charge of stock to travel at 
half rates could commence with a 
declaration by myself (in similar 
terms to forms A and B) that an 
entiy of live stock for exhibition at 
