EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. ^ 115 
of cattle from the eastern provinces are placed in the 
schedule; countries which are naturally free from cattle 
plague, and which are not countries of transit, are allowed to 
land cattle on our coasts in parts of ports which are not 
defined for slaughter, and these animals after being detained 
for twelve hours, or for such longer period as the inspector 
may think necessary, cease to be deemed foreign cattle, if 
thev are free from anv indications of disease at the expira- 
tion of the period of detention. 
Should it happen that a case of cattle plague be detected 
amongst a cargo of foreign animal, all the animals of what¬ 
ever kind would be slaughtered at the landing place. In 
the event of sheep-pox being discovered the sheep of the 
cargo would be slaughtered ; other animals not being subject 
to the disease or likely to communicate it would be left free 
to move in any direction. Should pleuro-pneumonia be 
found, all the cattle of the cargo would be slaughtered ; other 
animals, not being subject to the disease or likely to com¬ 
municate it, would not be interfered with. Foot-and-mouth 
disease in any one animal of a cargo is held to be a sufficient 
reason for the slaughter of the whole cargo, because all kinds 
of stock are liable to suffer from the disease, and to com¬ 
municate it to healthy animals. 
Short of condemning all imported animals to slaughter at 
the water side, against which course cogent reasons have 
been over and over again advanced, no more severe restric¬ 
tion could be imposed upon foreign stock than those which 
are now in force. 
Inspectors at the various ports have practically unlimited 
powers to detain animals of all kinds and all sorts of sub¬ 
stances which they suspect to be dangerous; and we are in 
a position to state that they do not generally err by being too 
lenient. Indeed if a tenth part of the complaints which 
are made of their excessive strictness were circulated in the 
same way that charges of laxity are, a very decided impres¬ 
sion would be left on the public mind in respect of the 
activity which is displayed in carrying into effect the sanitary 
laws for the protection of home stock. As it is, however, 
the public hears nothing of the numerous applications for 
