The debate on the Contagious Diseases Acts, now become annual,
came off on Wednesday, in the form of the second read- ing of a repealing Bill, and was remarkable chiefly for the con- flict of statistics it produced. Mr. Stansfeld, who now leads the opposition to the Acts, deduces from the official statistics the con- clusion that they save at the utmost only 50 men daily to the service; while Mr. Hardy believes, on official authority, that they save 648. As the safety of the Army is the first object of this legis- lation, this discrepancy should be explained by some impartial authority. At present it certainly appears that on either calcu- lation the hygienic effect of the Acts has been much less than was hoped. Mr. Childers was the only speaker who seriously pro- posed a compromise, suggesting that the periodical inspections should be abandoned, and the men made equally liable with the women for the spread of disease. The debate terminated in a vote of 308 to 126 in favour of the Acts, which, however, are hardly now worth protecting, Mr. Gladstone and most of the Liberal leaders, except Lord Hartington and Mr. Goschen, voting for their repeal.
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