The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-10 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

MOUSE OF COMMONS. —Vir.DNINDAT, Makeen 9.

(Coseladed from yesterday's Expessr).

WIEICEITS AND MEASURES (METRIC SYSTEM) BILL,
Mr. W. SWART, in moving the second reading of this
llit said be thought that a permimove bill was • sir')
W right direction, and he trusted that after the ni,trie
grime had been tried, under its provisions the country
would become so 000viuued of its merit and usvf tLat,
in Mine or five years bean • oomyu sort' measure ruq;tit be
iitsednord.

Mr. LOCKS, in secondiog the motion, said the present
=of weight, and measures was moat defective, and
though the bill could have leo bed effect whatever, its
1111111.05100 a, if objected to, could be easily amended is o.ln-
m/igen ilavieg reed the report of the select comtuittee be
winanwiebed that under the existing system a great 'nineties
wisdom, to the working classes, in their entail dealings.
These was no analogy, as in France, between our
sissepe sad our weights and measures, the come. 4aeuce
being that these classes, when they came to buy
• mall nenntity of au article, found no equivalent for it in
Megtins mousy, and bad to pay more than they ought. It
voakt theeefoee be a great advantage to the kii....uring
pepabitiee if they had coins to pay for the smallest
Iseislity of any articles they might stand in need of.
Yr. Y. GIBSON and last year his boo. friend projiJsed a
etempuisory measure to which be (Mr. 6absou) objected, but
be and set object to making a contract to deliver wisila uses-
/Wed ow the metrical system legal. He was put into a mi-
nority, sad the house carried the compulsory measure. lint
bce. friend now C. 31.3 with a permissive measure. lie aLoa,d
net oppose the second reading, but he wished to Lim-
ed( very carefully against agreeing to the clauses of tLe bill.
Be lived that hi, non. friend would be satisfied with a
move moderate measure than that which he had sutmitted
it, the house.

HEN LEI said he thought that this subject was so
great, whether for good or evil, that it ought tut to Le
Sweated except by the goverumeut. (Hear, hear.) Ito o
far too great a subject to be meddled with to the
way in which it was proposed to be meddled with by the
resent ball.

Mr. ADDEELEY thought the government ought to try
to facilitate the introduction of the metrical
tam. They might do this by legalising con-
tracts made on twit system ; by introducing it ii.to
the government establishments, and by Laving it tau° , t in
the schools under the Committee of Plivy Council on
Education. The system was so advantageous that A: uiwt all
the large firms were beginaing to nee it, act government
7Might do much to facilitate its general introduction by
adopting the means he bad pointed out.
Er. T. fI.tSKEY quite agreed that this matter ou;ht
to be taken up by the government, but the government
always threw cold water upon it. He could not wide/ate:di
bow the President of the Board of Trade could gave his
asectioci to the second reading of the will and object to ail
Use details, and be thought it would he wastiog tine to ;o
en with the bill if in effect the principle of tlia bid ea, to
be apposed when they got into committee. lie win out
wedded to thin particular male of etteitiug the deeded oir
jetty out he would alway....drowte as Per as Le could toe
alteratiln of a system which Lad teen admiitid to in
radically had, and should support systedu .Lich hid Leen
admitted,not only in France, but tiirod;hout Eurbpe, to to
a better system.

Mr. WALTER said he hoped he should not Le thought
guilty of presumption when be said that he iuteuded to
divide the house on this bill. He objected to the Lid partly
because it was a permissive bill, although Le $l,OU:d •
telt more strongly if it were compulsory. But he drjocted
to it as a permissive bill because he thought the. tho i.-e of
weights and measures in this country ought but t, be a
permissive, but a compulsory regulation. He no-
thing could do more to put the trade and commerce f the
eosuitry into coufu-ion than to have a tompulvory measure
of this kind. But he entertained a y:r...ugat
awe substantial objection to ti:e
woe • revolutionary measure. It in:tilt:red with
the present system of weights and measures,
and it introduced a foreign nomenclature, to which Le
sure the poor would have a treat disgtui. Re, ri in,
to the decimal coinage, he observed that
spoke of the introduction of the florin es a
toward. deciumliasuon. Why he ventured to say that in the
history of this country there ham never been a more useless
Owe. (Hear, Lear.) It only represented two otter
yseoee There was some *Anse io a half.crowo,
because it was of the value of three pieces
is one. But what was the good of the tl,tio •! It is,. of
se sae but to cheat some unhappy 5a150u.....0‘, aid
of making him a present of hall•a 38,4 Lull
two shillings. He said lotus keep to oar own milotoclature
at all ev.inta, and with regard to this 1.4:1 he fur cue should
Dot accept the proposal of his hon. frimul, that it should be
reads second time, but he mooed that it b• tea I a second
tine that day ale months.

Mr. J. B. l.:311T11 said he should give the bill his support.
There woo great confusion from the inderent kinds of
weights and mossures ; there were nine infferetat sorts of
" stocse." In some parts of the country a luso killed is
bullock and sent at up to London ; it weighed is lieu it
arrived here twice u many "stories" as it did
when it started. There ought to tie cue weight
sad one measure throughout the land.
Colonel SYKEi contended that the present system of
weights and measures was 'disgrace to o civilised country.
He feared, however, that the measure, is!thouitn a step is
the right direction, would be found impnbcticaLle as a per-
missive biU. and he hoped the goverlimet,l ...AI take the
matter in band, cod propose a measure which would be
at Doc, comprehensive and compulsory. Ile should vote for
the sir, as a recognition of a princille 0-Leh be Doped to see
adoote.l.

XT(iN considered that bef_re a change much aa
that proposed could be adopted, With any hope of working
well, :he new ,v,.(...n0 should be tsugLt in every ',hoot sup.
pored by pub:, ;..r.ot. (Hear, hear.)
BA lITTELOT feared that the bill would not be
sec, 0,1 Lr the poople. If such a measure sat tir...ogbt
desirs'le, it sho-ol be brought in by the governu.en:, and
shr....'unot Le pertnitsive.

, _ ..
Mr. IIAIN ES supported the bill. It was an in-Ltilt to the
isle: .4etice of the country to say that aIT stem which was
spreadiug over the world, and working well wherever it was
adopted. could not be uoderstood or would be reject,. I by
the l.eoplc of (Hear.) There would, co doubt,
locouve,t.uce iu the introduction of soy new stew, but
io the present instance they would bar- the mit): warn of
isconventeoce and the maximum of advantage.
• "

Tbe how, :
, or the eeclatl reading
.Igaioa6
Ile bill was then read 'second time.
CATTLE DISEASES PkEVENTII)N DILL.
_ . .

Mr. BRUCE, in movies the second real- ins of th; Cattle
Diseases Preventiim Bill, stated that in the l'oited King-
dom there were about r3,W11,000 cattle. 40,uuti3Out/ sheep,
and 4.300,000 pip, and the aggregste v.,lue was about
120,000,0001. sterling. Assurance-OffiAND for cattle were
stated in the year 1644, but notwithstanding that
the premiums bad been increased from time to
'lute, they had found the business upprobtable,
,sad they kad accordingly eased operations. buries six
years for which be bad obtained returns the average &anal
Ina of cattle, sheep, and pigs by disease, amounted in value
to six millions sterling. The most fill disease to which
settle were subject was pneumonia. With respect to horses,
W doctora disagreed as to the cause of the dame, and as
to the manner of its propagation. There was, however, he
believed a strong preponderance of authority in favour of
Its being contagious, although it might oleo arise as an
epidemic. There couid be no doubt that it was transmitted
by the passage of cattle in ships and railway treilie fn m
Ireland or Scotland. The dimes was propagated both from
the ships and trucks in which diseased cattle were eon-
iwayed, from the treatment to which they were subject, and
frees the other breeds with which thry came in contact.
The annual amount of loss from cattle disease was S per
eat., in addition to which the cattle that did rot
die were materially wakened and became unlit
. ler human food. It was, he believed. partly owing to this
MOOD that the price of cattle bad risen so greatly within
the last few yeses, and that so enmmouo a quantity of dis-
eased mod was sobd to the public. Professor Garages had
shwa that out of 1,439 cows kept in certain dairies io Edia-
haegh were diseased, and that of that cumber 791 were
sold to botcher,. A similar state of thiop prevailed in
London, Manchester. and other great cities. It less cairn-
lsted by the same professor that is Edinburgh 20) or AO
diseased cattle were sold every week. Theo came the im-
portaut questioo whether the use of diseased meat affected
inicomuay the human frame. No very clear bearer could
be gives to this cuestas, bat there was evidence to show
that under some circumstances the use of such meat did
create diseise. It was observed by Dr. Lotheby as very re.
makable that bogs and earbueclea had been very prevalent
of late yam, and he believed that to • very great
extent. they were caused by the use of diseased meat.
Whether all diseased meat was, or was not, of a
poisonous character, it we certainly not nutritive,
end the evil cause,' by the sale of diseased meat did not fall
upon the rich, but upon the poor, who of all others most
required wholesome and nourishing foil. Such being the
ease it DOW became him duty to allude to the existing Impala-
boo on the subject. There could be no doubt that di
was propagated by the importation of dimmed cattle.
Foreign cattle as a rule arrived in to country is better
condition than cattle from Scotland or Ireland, and the
Cattle Importation let. 11 and 12 Vic., was held to apply
ady to cattle imported from foreign couuti its. It had been
suggested that the proper remedy was to send agents to the
port of export, and there stop the expertatioa of diseased
cattle but be bad ascertained on inquiry that great loss
and inconvenience would arise from the adoption
of such a course, as eotha droves of cattle would
be delayed, and their mean would thereby lose the
market for which the cattle were istended. Nor would it
be an effectual remelv, as disease usually showed itself
after the arrival of the cattle in this country. It was his
Intention to move at the peeper time that the bill should
be referred to • select committee, and whatever additional
suggestions they should make with a view to rendering the
bill more effective, he would gladly adept. (Hear, bear.)
The statutee 11 and 12, and 16 and 17 Vic., related to the
INlOveotioo of the importation of diseased cattle, sheep, and
blips., red the present hill would consolidate those statutes
sad extend the existing law. It provided penalties
for the offence of turning diseased cattle amongst
matte which were sot diasased, for asp...in disused
rattle for sale, fur exporting diseased cattle, and for
driving inch Wong roods without proper prssentass&