429 
CENTRAL CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE. 
THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES (aNIMALs) BILL. 
A COUNCIL meeting of the Central Chamber of Agricul¬ 
ture was held on Tuesday, May 4th, at the Salisbury Hotel, 
Fleet Street, Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., in the chair. Among 
those present were the Earl Fortescue; Lord Egerton of 
Tatton; Hon. G. Milles, M.P.; Mr. Greene, M.P.; Mr. 
C. W. Hoskyns, M.P.; Col. Tomline, M.P.; Major Parker, 
M.P.; Mr. Corrance, M.P.; and several other members of 
the House of Commons. 
The Chairman, in opening the business, called attention to 
the circular sent out with regard to the Contagious Diseases 
(Animals) Bill. On Monday night the Bill had been re¬ 
committed, at the request of Mr. W. E. Forster, M.P., so 
that certain amendments to which the Government had 
agreed should be grafted in the Bill. Many other amend¬ 
ments had been put on the paper, and among them one for 
a separate market for the sale and slaughter of stock in the 
metropolis had been conceded by the Government. They 
ought to be most grateful for this concession on the part of 
the Government. He wished to say, however, without 
meaning any offence, that even yet their danger was not 
over, and they must urge upon every member of Parliament 
to watch, that this promise of the Government was not kept 
to them in the letter and denied them in the spirit. It is 
quite possible to have a separate market so small and so in¬ 
convenient, that only suspected and suspicious cattle should 
go there, and that only low butchers should attend it. In all 
probability such a market would fail, and no cattle would 
come to it. What they really wanted was a good market at 
the waterside, to which all stock from the centre and east of 
Europe should come. Arrangements were being made by 
which the Corporation of London w^ould be allowed to 
increase their tolls at the Islington market; the toll on 
bullocks from to each, and on sheep in the same 
proportion. The hon. gentleman concluded by expressing 
Ids thanks to Mr. W. E. Forster for the cordial spirit in 
which, on the part of the Government, he had met the 
representatives of the agricultural interests of the country. 
