The Cannock Chase Examiner. — 1875-08-21 (Cannock, Staffordshire, England)

OUR. MEAT SUPPLY.  The foot and mouth disease is not (the Standard points), as a rule, fatal to the life of the animal; neither is it of long continuance. But it occasions pecuniary loss to the owner, and much inconvenience, and it is desirable that our home stock should be protected against it as much as possible. It is not supposed tlmt this disease was originally brought from abroad, it having been known in this country between thirty and forty years ago. But it is a contagious disease, and unless some restrictions are imposed on the foreign supplies there would be imminent risk of its dissemination by the cattle and sheep coming from abroad. For the foreign supply to cease altogether would be a national disaster. If once the total supply sent into the market from all quarters falls a little short of the demand, prices will rise after the fashion of the coal famine, and no small amount of dissatisfaction will be the result. Neither will there be any want of those clever speculators and well-compacted trade organisations ready to reap the harvest of a sudden rise, and striving in every possible way to aggravate the evil. We also know too well that if prices once go up to an abnormal height they rarely fall hock to their old level again. Altogether this is a nicely balanced question. We have need to encourage the foreign supply, for the home stock is not sufficient. Yet we ought to take every care to exclude contagious disease, for we can ill afford to suffer loss. No doubt the Government will give the subject a very careful consideration, and if it appears that the public will be the gainers by some relaxation of the present regulations the change will be made. ' Possibly with regard to the foot and mouth disease something may be done, and it may be deemed sutlient henceforth to place the foreign sheep and cattle under regulations more in accordance with those which apply to the home stock. It is singular that the foot and mouth disease should be troubling us just now both by sea and land. From Cumberland and Westmoreland, down to Sussex, we have reports of widespread disease of this kind, affecting an innnense number of sheep and catte. It is much to be feared that we shall have a dear meat market before next Christmas, and it is extremely likely that the beef and mutton question will soon crow uncomfortably prominent as a subject of public discussion. These are hard times for the consumer. We hope the danger is less than some parties make it appear to be; but the peril is enhanced by the risk that in letting in foreign supplies more freely, we may be assisting to damage the docks and herds which we already possess at home.  Mr. Ward Hunt and other members of the Admiralty made their annual inspection of the dockyard, the steam reserve, the Royal Marines, and other Government establishments at Chatham last week.  At Bishop Auckland, last week, one man was killed and three others injured by the fall of a scaffold erected For building a large hotel. The men fell from the third 'Amy into the cellar.  MURININ IN iItHLAND. man, named Reilly, was found murdered near his residence at Mayne, near Clogherhead, on the 13th instant. Two men have been arrested on suspicion. The affair is attributed to an altercation arising when the parties were returning from a wedding.