We are glad to see that a large and influential
meeting was held at the. Albert Hall last Saturday, at the instance of Our Dumb Friends' League, to protest against the exix:rt of worn- out horses to the Continent. The facts are- patent and undeni- able. Horses that are in no condition to stand voyage are shipped to Antwerp and suffer- terribly on their way and after their arrival. The Government inspection is supposed to pre- vent the export of old and diseased animals that are unfit to bear the hardships of the journey, but it is known to be defective and easily evaded. Miss Cole told the meeting that in one ship over a hundred horses died or were. fatally injured. There can be no defenceof such a disgusting trade, which reflects discredit on all who take .part in it. The true 'remedy would seem to lie in the prohibition of the export of horses which are to be used as food. If the poor animals were slaughtered here under humane conditions, the foreigners who eat horseflesh could still get their favourite meat—perhaps more cheaply—while we should be freed from a national disgrace.
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