rAllLlAMENTAllY INTELLIGENCE. 
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framed specially for the purpose of securing an advantage to 
agriculturalists ; but lie denied the justice of that allegation, and he 
could distinctly declare that the measure was drawn up with a 
determination to consult the interests of every class in the com¬ 
munity. The noble Lord then proceeded to point out the peculiar 
characteristics and the most virulent form of cattle plague for the 
purpose of showing the necessity of adopting exceptional precau¬ 
tions for the prevention of its spreading. It was a disease which 
might remain latent in the animal for a period of fourteen days, 
and it was therefore impossible to know whether foreign cattle on 
their arrival at our ports might not, if allowed to circulate freely 
over the country, become instruments to an unlimited extent for the 
spread of the contagion. It had in consequence been found neces¬ 
sary to impose the most stringent and unusual restrictions on our 
foreign cattle traffic. He believed that it was still necessary to 
continue to a great extent those measures. They could not dis¬ 
tinguish between the cattle introduced from a country in which the 
infection prevailed and a country which was free from the visitation ; 
and if they were to allow the unrestricted introduction of any 
foreign cattle, they must run the risk of a renewal of the plague in 
this country. He would meet the requirements of the case by pro¬ 
viding that the system of separate markets for foreign cattle should 
be permanently adopted ; and it was manifest that the existence of 
such markets must benefit the towns in which thev were situated, 
while they would afford the most effectual guarantee against a 
recurrence of such a calamity as that to which we had a few years 
since been exposed. The great question was what should be done 
with foreign beasts during the few days between their landing and 
their being slaughtered? The separate market system would enable 
them to deal in the most satisfactory manner with the matter. He 
believed that that system would not raise the price of meat to the 
British consumer, and it certainlv had not been attended wdth that 
result in Liverpool, where it had a fair trial. It w'ould no doubt 
have the effect of getting rid of the middleman and of his profits, 
and by that means it would reduce the cost of meat to the con¬ 
sumer, while it would enable the foreign importer to obtain a 
higher price, and would thus encourage the introduction of animal 
food into our markets. It should be remembered that of the whole 
of the meat consumed in this country not more than 5 per cent, in 
quantity and not more than 4iper cent, in value came from abroad, 
and that was an amount which might easily be lost if the cattle 
plague were again to break out among our herds. He did not wan 
to exclude foreign cattle ; he believed, on the contrary, that his 
Bill would lead to an increase in the importation of cattle; but the 
great object which they should have in view was to establish a 
reasonable provision for the safety of the native herds, which formed 
the great source of our consumption. The noble lord concluded by 
moving the second reading of the Bill, upon the understanding that 
it was afterwards to be referred to a select committee. 
Mr. Headlam rose to move as an amendment that the Bill be 
