SELECT COMMITTEE ON CONTAGIOUS DISEASES BILL. 533 
should be called on to return their losses of cattle and sheep 
from all diseases and accidents. As 1 have written a note 
here, perhaps I may he allowed to read it Farmers 
should return their losses of cattle, sheep, and pigs from all 
diseases and accidents at certain intervals, and from con- 
tagious diseases immediately on their occurrence, by filling up 
prepared forms; these might be sent to the Board of Guar- 
dians, and forwarded through the Poor Law Commission to 
the Board of Trade.” 
48. You propose this, that if a farmer who was in pos- 
session of a large herd of cattle found that a case of pleuro- 
pneumonia or other infectious disorder existed in his herd, 
that then he should immediately publicly inform the Board 
of Guardians of the fact, and place himself, his farm, and his 
cattle in quarantine? — I think so. 
49. Now do you think that any such clause inserted in 
any Act of Parliament would be likely to receive the sanction 
of the legislature? are you aware that on the question of 
agricultural statistics there has been great diversity of 
opinion and objection ? — Perfectly. 
50. Do you not think that a far greater objection would 
be taken by a farmer to announce to the whole world that he 
had what some people might call an infectious disease among 
his cattle than to tell the public what number of cattle he 
had in his fields ? — 1 think not ; I have always found farmers 
most ready to communicate any losses they may sustain 
from disease. 
51. Now suppose a man has many hundreds of store cattle 
(and the case with regard to pleuro-pneumonia is stronger 
with regard to store cattle than it is with regard to fat 
cattle), and a large fair is approaching at which this gentle- 
man is 'obliged to sell the greater portion of his store cattle ; 
do you mean to tell the Committee, that that man could be 
forced to proclaim to the public the existence of a contagious 
disease among those cattle, and so deteriorate the value of 
100 or 150 head of cattle 50 or 60 per cent? — I do not sup- 
pose that an individual under such circumstances would 
make such a delaration ; but I think that any Bill which is 
to limit the effect of pleuro-pneumonia would be inoperative, 
unless you deal with that man's animals as infected animals. 
If he is allowed to send those animals into the market, and 
to communicate disease to other animals, all legislation will 
be inoperative. 
52. Can you tell the Committee how a farmer could be 
made to state publicly the existence of disease among his 
herd, when the effect of that declaration would be to dete- 
