The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-05-09 00:00:00

CENTRAL CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE.

A council meeting of the Central and Associated
Chambers of Agriculture was held on Tuesday morn-
ing at the Salisbury Hotel, London, Mr. G. P. Muntz,
M.P., presiding, and amongst those present were
Lord Hampton, Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., Mr. A. Pell,

_...... _____ •
M.P., and 'others.
Mr. A. Pell, M.P., presented the report of the
Local Taxation Committee, and moved its adoption.
The principal passages if the report are as follows
The Local Taxation Committee are now able for the first
time to report that the exceptional charges imposed upon
ratepayers have been taken into consideration by the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer in the financial statement for the
year. This evidence of the desire of the Government to
modify and re-arrange imperial with !mole regard to local
taxation will, your committee believe, give satisfaction to
those who have long striven for a readjustment of this na-
ture In addressing themselves to this intricate question we
are assured that her Majesty's Government are not merely
yielding to the emphatic decision of the late House of Com-
mons Nor do they simply reflect the anxiety for redress
which n recent general election proved to he no widely felt by
ratepayers. Nor even—although the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer pointedly alluded to the fact—are they solely influenced Sir,--Since you permitted me to notice in your
by that resistance which your committee felt compelled to columns the prevalence of this disease, a number of
offer to all rate-imposing me asures. But we are now, at last,
freshw ca have been seen in Liindon by veterinary
informed that local taxation is in the view of the Government
" upon the whole the object of the highest national interest at surgeons and two or three alarms have been created by
the present time." The principles so long advocated by yoi r dogs apparently mad. I say apparently because we
Committee are endorsed by the propositions of the Govem- have no positive evidence of their condition. NOW it
ment so far as these go ; though ratepayers doubtless feel that is extremely important during an epidemic of this dun-
no more than justice would be done by a larger development geroua nature to be positive as to the disease of any
of the
tong tho, now entered upon. Your committee cannot
dors lain bun an lieinosi. Much physical and mental
et that the heavy liability to which counties anti boroughs s• . s' ' , e' . • ,
are suldeettd in having to provide Sillli keep up asylums suffering may result to a person bitten icy a dog suffer-
remains unalleviated. The future question of the assmnption jug from some nomonnuouticable disease, and nervous
by the State of the entire police, on grounds alike of efficient people may even become affected with dangerous
and economic ail ministration,remains open ; while the anomaly symptotns.
of retaining on the rates so large a portion of the cost of Ti. prevent this, I would suggest that any dog which
adminisring justice, although not now dealt with, will
necessarilyte claim very early attention. The large proportion has run amuck in the streets and been kill.sl should
of the relief now given which will fall to the share I be sent either to the Veterinary College or the Brown
of la irough and metropolitan ratepayers deserves to be I Institution for post mortem examination. Every en-
caret ally noted. Your committee have invariably insisted i deavour should also be made to find the owner, so as
on the preponderating interest really possessed by urban to discover anv premonitory symptom the animal may
populations in this matter. The selection -most just in itself
have shown, for a post martent examination alone is
aild uniformly advocated by your mite_—of the charge
ant ,
for police, which presses to heavily upon towns, as one of the
first objects of relief, affords the most conclusive answer toundoubted cases which have already
The
ha always
numberci.in col
of
suinv
those who in their desire to shield exempted and favoured occurred warrant the strictest precautions. such as the
classes have not scrupled to represent the efforts of your destruction of all ownerless or wandering dogs and the
committee as solely directed to enrich the landowners of compulsory use of collars on animals not led by a
England at Hie expense a the urban ratepayer. Your corm
mittee have observed with great satisfaction that the Chan- string. All dims, bitten by a strange dog should he
cellar of the Exchequer has explicitly declared the reforni of kept in confinement for at least one month-; muzzling is
ear local ad ))) i t iistration to he one of the objects to which not of much use, because the wandering tendency of
the Government certainly propose to direct attention. This rabid dogs is often the first symptoms noticed, and the
assurance onaht to stimulate, in local chambers of Agri- animal escapes from home when the muzzle would, of
culture, a thorough inquiry Into, and an exhaustive discussion Course, not be in use.
of the various points involved. Such tfueittionsas the best form In most cases' however, premonitory symptoms are
and nnit of local government, the best means oftmalgamating
existing authorities, of introducing simplicity and uniformity
into the present chaos of conflicting areas and jurisdictions, vweerlyl market tort__tii, and as the duration if the disease is
finally three or four days, never over ten
and of providing an efficient audit of accounts, are eminently —a short confinement is sufficient to decide whether
fitted for local consideration, and their ultimate settlement will
thns be very greatly facilitated Vehile continuing to devote or not a slog is rabid. These syautirdto.mst,hui:fkortnzse,teiglye
their special attention to these difficult points, y would com-
mittee trust that the result of their offer of a prize for the 'would be tha greatest check on the spread of the
known to few dog owners,
best essay on the subject may ultimately Placo them in aposi- disease, l: insuring its detection at the outset, we
tion to offer practlcal and valuable suggestions for the con- should inflow the examples of the Paris authorities, and

e isintol on the back of g, ry dog licence a short
clew oxeount of the premonitory symptoms and the
beet pre% eotive rueasurei.—Your obedient servant,
Wm. HUNTING.
6, Derby-street, W., May I.

be over-estimated of inculcating the art of swimmin,g
not only in our °Nil ~as a! and merchant marine sor-
vice, but especially among the crews of fishing smacks
and smaller boats nround our coast. (Cheers.) If the
art of swimming and the art of restoring people appa-
rently drowned were only widely diffused great benefit
would be conferred on our fellow countrymen. (Cheers.)
Before resuming my seat I will propose to you another
toast, which I am sure you will receive with great en-
thusiasm. We have here among us several represents-
t:ves of the French and Belgian Societies, whose object
is the same as our own. I ask you, therefore, to join
with us in drinking the health of those representatives
and success to their societies. I hope that those
societies may prosper, and that the example they have
set may be followed in other countries. (Cheers)
The toast was drunk amid loud cheers.
Colonel David, who wore the uniform of the Garde
Civique, responded for the Belgian, and M. Boquete
for the French Society.
Admiral Sir F. Nicholson proposed "The Health of
the Medallists of the Society," referring to Admiral
Sherard Osborn and to Sir Walter Tarleton, the latter
of whom returned thanks. _ . „

On Saturday Colonel Henderson ordered London to
be placarded with bills, of which the following is a
copy
"Mad Dogs—Every person who shall permit any dog to
go at large after having information or reasonable ground
for believing it to be in a rabid state, or to have been bitten
by any dog in a rabid state, is liable to a penalty of Lb The
Police have ordem to destroy every such dog and also to en-
force the penalty against the owner—Metropolitan Police
°Mee, 4, Whitehall-place."
On Saturday evening the placards were printed and
distributed to the stations and shops round London.
The following rule is also given to the Police them-
selves :
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—. • .
" Mad Dogs.—Strict orders to seize all stray dogs, whether
muzzled or unmuzzled, not immediately under the control of
some person."

Dr. Frank Hutchinson responded for the " Health
of the Medical Officers," whieh was proposed by Lord
Cls.tid Hamilton.
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