View report page

221
Public Health.
life of an infant when taken out by any person who shall have the custody of such infant for reward,
and making it an offence for any such person to insure or attempt to insure the life of such infant.
Offences under Part I. of the Act are punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months,
or a fine not exceeding £25, and the fines are paid to the Council.
On 31st March, 1909, before Part I. of the Act of 1908 came into force, the number of homes
under inspection by the Council's officers was 268, containing 668 infants, and on 31st December, 1912,
these numbers had risen to 2,876 and 3,728 respectively. In addition, at the end of the year there
were 15 homes with one nurse infant each, which were under inspection by philanthropic societies
acting as infant protection visitors under powers delegated by the Council under the Act. There were
also at the end of the year 22 homes, containing 58 children, exempted from official inspection.
The Act of 1908 did not deal with children adopted for lump sums of money and, as this system
has been found to be grossly abused in many cases, the Council decided on 30th April, 1912, to make
representations to the Secretary of State as to the desirability of the Act being amended so as to provide
that no infant shall be adopted by a nurse-mother for payment of a lump sum of money without the
written approval of the local authority.
Diseases of
animals.
The Diseases of Animals Act, 1894 to 1911, make provision tor the prevention, diminution and
suppression of contagious diseases in animals, and are enforced in London partly by the Board of
Agriculture and Fisheries and partly by the Council and the City Corporation. The Acts are supplemented
by Orders made by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries dealing with infectious disease
among animals and the areas in which such disease exists.
The Acts and Orders are administered in London outside the City by the Council, and in the
City by the Corporation, which body is also responsible as port sanitary authority, for enforcing the
provisions of the Act relating to foreign animals.
The Council's outdoor staff for the administration of the Acts consists of four veterinary
inspectors, and certain other inspectors, who devote their whole time to the work.
The prevalence of contagious disease in animals in London during the year 1912 is shown by the
following statement indicating the number of animals attacked:—Glanders, including farcy, 172 cases ;
typhoid in swine, 12 outbreaks ; anthrax, 14 cases ; and parasitic mange, 1,978 cases.
Details were given in the last annual report* of the steps which led to the conference between
the Council and the local authorities of districts adjacent to London on the general question of the
amendment of the Glanders or Farcy Order of 1907. As a result of this conference the Board of Agriculture
and Fisheries, in August, 1911, issued the Glanders or Farcy (Metropolitan Police District)
Order, 1911. The new Order empowers local authorities in the metropolitan police area to destroy
infected articles under certain conditions and to make a second application of the mallein test to suspected
or in-contact animals at any time not later than six weeks after the first application
of the test.
Compensation amounting to £1,889 was paid by the Council in respect of glandered horses
slaughtered during the year. Five infringements of the Glanders or Farcy Order of 1907 were detected,
and in one case legal proceedings were taken, a penalty of £1 being imposed.
The number of infringements of the Parasitic Mange Order of 1911 detected was 134, and in 28
cases legal proceedings were taken, penalties amounting in all to £120 5s. 6d. being imposed.
Foreign
animals.
The Board of Agriculture during the year issued an Order, known as the Foreign Animals (Amendment)
Order, 1912, which requires that any provision of the Foreign Animals Order of 1910, having relation
to an animal brought from a port in a scheduled country, shall apply in like manner to an animal
brought from a port in a country which is not scheduled, if the animal since it was taken on board at
that port has entered a port in a scheduled country. The Order further makes it unlawful to land in
Great Britain, without licence, cattle, sheep, goats or swine taken from the United Kingdom, the Channel
Islands or the Isle of Man into a port in a scheduled country. The Order of 1910 does not apply, except
where otherwise expressly stated, in relation to animals brought from the Channel Islands or the Isle of
Man and certain portions of an Order of 1911 are revoked so far as it concerns animals, the landing of
which at a foreign animals quarantine station has been approved under the Foreign Animals (Quarantine)
Order of 1896.
Importation
of dogs.
The Board of Agriculture also during the year issued an Order applying the Importation of Dogs
Order, 1901, and the Importation of Canine Animals Order, 1909, to dogs or canine animals taken from
the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man into a port in any country out of the United
Kingdom, except the Channel Islands or Isle of Man as if the animal were an imported animal, unless
it is shown that the animal has not been landed in that country and that while on board it has not
been allowed to come into contact with any dog, etc., from that country, and unless a licence has
been obtained previously to its landing in Great Britain.
Destructive
insects and
pests.
The Board ot Agriculture during the year issued under the Destructive Insects and Pests Acts,
1877 to 1907, an Order entitled the American Gooseberry Mildew (Fruit) Order of 1912, the object of
which is to prevent the spread of the disease known as American gooseberry mildew which affects gooseberry
and currant bushes and has become prevalent in this country. The Order prohibits the sale or
exposure for sale of gooseberries affected with the disease, and directs that foreign gooseberries shall
not be landed in this country except in packages to which labels are attached marked " Imported gooseberries,"
and stating the name of the consigner and the country and district in which the fruit was
produced. The Order also provides that a package which has contained diseased gooseberries must be
* Annual Report of the Council, 1911, Vol. III., pp. 176-7.