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29

H.—2

Amendment proposed, " That the words ' Governments of Victoria, South Australia, and ' be inserted in lieu of the words ' Government of,' in the second line." —Amendment agreed to. Clause as amended agreed to. Besolutions as a whole held over for further consideration. (See page 43.) Mr. Beydone gave notice of the following motion for next sitting: " That if, after the next shearing of the flocks in the last-infected districts, on inspection the said flocks be found free from scab, this Conference recommends the different Australasian Governments to remove the restrictions at present in force against the importation of New Zealand sheep, and also from the intercolonial steamers." The Conference adjourned till 10 o'clock next day.

Thied Day.—Thursday, Octobee 27, 1892. Present: Sir John Hall, K.C.M.G. (Chairman), and the full Conference. Mr. W. E. Bidwill was introduced to the Conference, and took his seat as a representative of New Zealand. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. Quaeantine on Foeeign Stock. Mr. Tabaet desired to bring under the notice of the Conference a matter which had been overlooked when the resolutions concerning the introduction of foreign stock were being dealt with— that was, the introduction of pests. He had referred to it in his paper read on the opening day of the Conference in connection with the gad-fly (GSstrus bovis). That pest had been introduced into Tasmania by Devon cattle which had been imported from England; but fortunately the pest had been effectively dealt with in quarantine. He thought some action should be take to prevent the introduction of such pests into these colonies, more especially as they knew that Miss Ormerod estimated the loss to England from this pest at from £2,000,000 to £7,000,000 sterling: that was from the loss to beef and skin. He thought the exportation from England to the colonies should be restricted to certain months in the year. Possibly there were gentlemen present who were better acquainted with the gad-fly than he was. He would suggest to those having experience in the matter the advisability of naming certain months in the year during which cattle might bo imported from England. Mr. Eitchie suggested that a good time to discuss the matter would be when the resolutions already passed by the Conference came up for confirmation. Mr. Eitchie's suggestion was adopted. (See page 43.) Inspection of Stock. Clause 38 of the resolutions passed by the previous Conference, postponed for further consideration, was brought up, as follows : — " That it is desirable that an efficient and competent staff of Inspectors of Stock be maintained in each colony, to prevent the introduction and to arrest the spread of scab or any other contagious or infectious disease; and that the Governments of Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia exercise the greatest possible vigilance with respect to their northern ports, to prevent the introduction of diseases from Eastern, Indian, or Chinese ports." Mr. Beuce moved, as an amendment, " That the clause be struck out, and the following two clauses be inserted in lieu thereof, viz. :— " ' That it is desirable that an efficient and competent staff of Inspectors of Stock be maintained in each colony, to prevent the introduction and to arrest the spread of contagious or infectious diseases in each colony, and to give the other colonies confidence that the stock asked to be introduced are free from infection; and that, where stock come from a colony in which such a staff is not maintained, the colony into which they are proposed to be introduced be entitled to put on such restrictions as it may deem necessary to impose by way of guarantee that such stock are not infected.' " ' That it is desirable the Governments of Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia should exercise the greatest possible vigilance with respect to their northern, ports, to prevent the introduction of diseases from Eastern, Indian, or Chinese ports.' " He had submitted a minute to his Minister on this subject, in which he said that one of the most important matters to which he wished to draw attention was the necessity for agreement between the different colonies as to how to protect stock from infection; and with respect to clause 38, which called for the appointment and maintenance of an efficient and competent staff of Inspectors of Stock in every colony, he said it was "not only in the interest of the colonies employing such a staff, but also in that of the neighbouring colonies ; for, if infectious and contagious disease is allowed to obtain a footing among the stock in any of the colonies on the mainland, it is only a question of time when it will spread to them all, unless, indeed, there is a complete stoppage of stock-traffic between the colonies. For these reasons it is most essential that each of the colonies should employ a sufficient staff of competent Inspectors; and it is so especially in the face of the fact that all the colonies are now asking that their stock should be admitted into the other colonies with little or no restrictions. If stock, therefore, are to be admitted in this way it is necessary that the colony which is asked to admit them on the certificate issued in another colony should have full confidence in the statements contained in the certificate; and that it cannot have if, as is now the case in some of the colonies, the staff is so defective as to render it impossible for the officer granting the certificate to examine the stock and say from his own personal knowledge that they are, as he certifies, free from infection." As he had already pointed out, the certificate they required from Victoria and South Australia with stock was merely to the effect that the "Inspector had no reason to doubt the owner's declaration" that the stock was free from disease. Beyond that they did not say, as he said they ought to say, that they had seen the 5—H. 2.

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