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PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. 
country, that they should not be maintained with greater severity than 
was absolutely necessary. The agricultural interest had, he thought, 
great reason to complain that the Privy Council did not take the neces¬ 
sary steps to make inquiries in different parts of the world as to the 
existence of disease, and as to where store cattle of the best quality might 
be obtained. 
Mr. Chaplin regarded the motion as a wanton attack on the agricul¬ 
tural interest, and in the face of the facts disclosed in the recent Blue 
Book it was a waste of time to discuss it. 
Colonel Kingscote maintained that the Blue Books left no doubt as to 
the existence of disease in the States, and that great uneasiness existed 
there on the subject. Until the States could show a clean bill of health 
he was strongly opposed to any relaxation of the restrictions. The 
farmers, he said, were ready to meet dead meat competition, but they 
objected to having disease introduced into their flocks and herds by the 
unrestricted importation of live cattle. 
Mr. Duckham said that it would be a national evil if cattle were allowed 
to come into the country without restriction. The disease was of recent 
growth, and until 1835 was unknown. It was first introduced in this 
conntry in 1839, whence it found its way into Australia, and had ulti¬ 
mately travelled almost all over the world. He maintained that, when 
free trade in importation was allowed, disease spread with fatal rapidity. 
The increase in the importations from America in recent years showed 
conclusively that no real loss was sustained by the nation in consequence 
of the existence of the regulations on the subject of importation. In nine 
months last year 76,117 head of cattle and 192,370 sheep were imported 
into this country from the United States. He held that considerable 
risk of contagion was run by animals in passing from the west to the 
east coast of America and in the journey to England. 
Mr. Mundella remarked that there was much misunderstanding with 
regard to the working of the Act of 1878, which he held to be a most 
satisfactory and valuable compromise. The existence of pleuro-pneu- 
monia could not be doubted, but merely to slaughter the animals 
affected would not destroy the possibilities of infection. The restric¬ 
tions complained of had enabled the Government in a great measure to 
keep the disease under control, and, with regard to foot-and-mouth 
disease, to stamp it out. Regarding this as a question of protection, not 
for the farmer so much as the consumer, he said it was quite impossible 
to relax the present restrictions. 
Sir S. Northcote thanked the Vice-President for his speech, and ex¬ 
pressed satisfaction that the Act of 1878 would now be judged on its 
merits. 
Mr. R. Paget contrasted Mr. Mundella’s present attitude with his 
opposition to the Act of 1878, while passing to which Mr. Forster replied 
that it was the Act as amended by the opposition of the day of which 
Mr. Mundella approved. 
On a division, the motion was negatived by 194 to 20. 
THE TEXAN CATTLE FEVER. 
August 13 th 
In reply to Mr. Barclay (on behalf of Mr. J. Howard) and Mr. 
Arnold, 
Mr. Mundella said that thirteen animals of the American cattle im¬ 
ported in the “Iowa” were reported to have been affected by Texan 
fever. There were 804 head of cattle came by this vessel but only 
those that came from one consigner had been affected. Their inspec¬ 
tors were remaining on the spot in order to see that everything 
