The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-25 00:00:00

!HE CATTLE PLAGUE AND THE STORE CATTLE
TRADE.

A memorial, addressed to the Privy Council, and
signed by magistrates, landowners, graders, and cattle
dealers, to the number of nearly four handred, from the
district of Craven, praying for • modification of the merle-
tions on the trade between England and Sootland, and for
permission to bold • store cattle fair on Linton Holm', in
the centre of the district was presented • short time ago,
and, the reply being unfavourable se to the admission of
stock into sGotland, but no allusion being made to the
fair, the memorialists derided that one or two gentlemen
from the district should wait upon Colonel Harness, 0.8.,
and press for some modification of the present severe re-
strictions. In accordance with this, an interview took
place yesterday. Mr. Birkbeck, a landowner and large
farmer, and secretary to the Linton Cattle Show, stated that
the district of Craven to the north and north-west of
Skipton and the whole of the bordering county of West-
moreland had never had one use of cattle plague, includ-
ing an area of more than 800 square miles ; that it was
almost entirely a summer grazing country, and required
markets for its stock inthe autumn which must be removed
to winter food : that Scotland, which in many districtahad
severely suffered from cattle plague, was now allowed mar-
kets and free intercourse with England, whilst tlaislerge dis-
trict, which has always been free, was inconvenienced and
injured by the Scotch marketebeing entirely closed to it, and
public home fairs forbidden. That Ireland also had free
trade in cattle, and was now (as a report of the
Dalkeith market, in the Yorkshire Post, shows) solely
monopolizing the supply of store cattle to Scotland. He,
therefore, hoped that some of the existing restrictions
would be removed, es it wee manifest they might be
without danger. He also alluded to the efforts which had
been made by the Scottish Board of Agriculture and others
interested in the cattle trade in Scotland, to modify the
restrictions of the trade with this district.
Colonel Hammen said there would be difficulty in
making exemptions in favour of particular districts.
Mr. BIRIBECI replied they bad already done so in
favour of the county of Northumberland—why not for so
large a district, in which, he repeated, cattle plague bad
never existed'
Colonel Hamm replied the exception had only
reference to sheep. On reading over the order he pointed
out that fat cattle markets might be held if they were sent
afterwards for immediate slaughter; but unless the order
was entirely rescinded, it was contrary to its spirit to per-
mit store cattle markets at present.
Mr. BIZZOLCE suggested that • modification only of
the order would meet the wishes of the memorialists ; he
Gould assure him it pressed the most severely on the
middle-class owners of stock, as large owners could now
sell on their farms by public auction, but it would not pay
for the small tumors to do so, and they cannot combine
for that purpoee, being scattered over such an extensive
country. Mr. Birkbeck, therefore, suggested that if stop
cattle market' were held in counties or petty sessional
divisions where there had been no plague for the same
number of months as Scotland had been free, and further,
to let cattle assemble at such fairs under the restriction of
passes, excluding all cattle grazed within ten miles of
an infected district, that would meet every requirement,
and would be equally just to the United Kingdom.
Colonel HARNICOS said the Lord President was still in
attendance upon her Majesty in Scotland ; but that there
was • strong desire to investigate the severity of these re-
strictions by the Lords of the Privy Council, if they could
with safety—that they had the subject continually under
discussion, and he would place the present communications
duly before them.
Letters in support of the object were presented from the
Mayor of Bolton (a gentleman connected with the district).
and from Lord Frederick Cavendish, M.P., and Sir Frank
Crossley, Bart., M.P., the representatives for this part of
'a county.