H.—37.

held to be ground for seizure; on the other hand, in Islington the veterinary inspector of the Corporation of the City of London only seizes those carcases wherein tuberculosis is generalised and the meat in poor condition. In Dublin the medical officer of health used to seize on the slightest evidence of tuberculosis, but he has recently modified his views, and only seizes carcases which are somewhat extensively affected. In Sheffield seizure is made of a carcase showing the slightest trace of tuberculosis ; in Manchester, in cases where the disease is localised, the affected part is removed and destroyed, the remainder is passed. Numerous instances of similar discrepancy will be found in the evidence; the above, taken almost at random, may be sufficient to illustrate the present condition of inspection applied to tuberculous carcases." They believe that such a stage of experience and knowledge has been attained as to the nature of tuberculosis and the effect of tuberculous meat upon the human consumer as to enable a uniform standard to be prescribed for the guidance of meat inspectors. As regards slaughterhouses, they say that the use of public slaughterhouses in populous places, to the exclusion of all private ones, " is a necessary preliminary to a uniform and equitable system of meat inspection." They cannot, on the merits of the case, recommend compensation to butchers for carcases seized by the local authorities or their officers on account of tuberculosis. Dealing with the question of milk-supply, they say : "Whatever degree of danger may be incurred by the consumption of the flesh of tuberculous animals (and we have already stated our belief that the tendency in this country has been rather to exaggerate this than to underrate it), there can be little doubt that the corresponding danger in respect of milk-supply is a far greater one." On this point the opinion of the previous Boyal Commission on Tuberculosis was emphatic—"No doubt the largest part of the tuberculosis which man obtains through his food is by means of milk containing tuberculous matter." In Great Britain and Ireland meat, as a rule, is cooked before it is eaten to an extent which goes largely to destroy infective matter. Milk, on the other hand, is largely consumed in a raw state, especially by children, and there exists a general distaste for cooked milk as a beverage. Amongst most continental nations the practice is to some extent the opposite of this, and large quantities of meat, especially in the various forms of sausages, are consumed absolutely raw, while the greater proportion of the milk is cooked before consumption. It has been proved over and over again that milk from tuberculous udders, and even milk which has been purposely contaminated with tuberculous matter, can be rendered perfectly harmless by being boiled for one minute —a method of sterilisation which we agree with the former Commission in preferring for general application to any of the other plans which have, been employed. We have already explained how unsatisfactory is the system of meat inspection in this country; but as regards milk, in relation to tuberculosis, inspection is still more so ; indeed, it may be said not to exist. Even local authorities, who exert themselves to prevent the sale of tuberculous meat, are without sufficient powers to prevent the sale within their districts of milk drawn from diseased cows. It is true that in this respect the City of Glasgow possesses exceptional powers. Nevertheless, during the visit of your Majesty's Commissioners to that city they were shown in the public slaughterhouse the carcase of a well-nourished cow which had been seized for generalised tuberculosis. She had been yielding milk to the day of her slaughter, as shown by the milk flowing freely from her udder, and might have continued to do so had not her owner sold her to the butcher. It has been proved to our satisfaction from the returns of the medical officers of health and meat inspectors, that tuberculosis prevails to a larger extent among dairy stock than in any other class of animal. Considerable difference of opinion exists among experts as to the extent to which a cow may be affected with tuberculosis without rendering her milk dangerous. It was not proved to our satisfaction that tubercle bacilli had ever been detected in milk, unless drawn from a cow with tuberculosis of the mammary gland. In that case the disease generally, but not always, manifests itself by external signs, and the udder is suspected to be tuberculous. It is obvious, we think, that milk drawn from such a source ought to render him who exposes it for sale liable to heavy penalties. But there is no power at present to prevent such milk being sold. Professor McFadyean told us that, in a sample of milk from a diseased udder submitted to him for diagnosis, he had no difficulty in detecting tubercle bacilli, yet the milk from that cow continued to be sent in for sale in a neighbouring city. Unfortunately, tuberculosis of the udder can rarely be differentiated from other forms of udder-disease by the ordinary stock-owner or dairyman, and hence all udder-diseases should be forthwith notified, to the local authority." They do not advise the claim for compensation should be entertained, except under special and defined circumstances (when the cow has been slaughtered and found to be free from the disease), and they advocate prohibition in populous places of cowsheds not at present registered. They add : " We desire to say that we have received the impression that public opinion is prepared to indorse measures taken to secure an uncontaminated milk supply. We have examined the establishments of two of the leading dairy firms supplying the metropolis, and have noted with satisfaction a number of systematic precautions taken in them against disease in the cows whence the milk is drawn, and against the presence of impurity in milk supplied to their customers. There is also a growing tendency among the wealthier class of customers to purchase their milk from dairymen who can give some assurance as to the adoption of such precautions. But much remains to be done to protect the poorer clases in populous districts, who cannot afford to pay a higher price for a guaranteed article, and perhaps have not the degree of knowledge necessary to warn them against milk coming from dubious sources." The recommendations of the Commission are as follows: "A. Slaughter-houses. —1. We recommend that in all towns and municipal boroughs in England and Wales, and in Ireland, powers be conferred on the. authorities similar to those conferred on Scottish corporations and municipalities by ' The Burgh Police (Scotland) Act, 1892,' viz. : (a.) When the local authority in any town or urban district in England and Wales and Ireland have provided a public slaughterhouse, power be conferred on them to declare that no other place within the town or borough shall be used for slaughtering, except that a period of three years be allowed to the owners of existing registered private slaughterhouses to apply their premises to

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