THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Mr. Edmund T. MacMichael's attack on the Protection of Animals Act, 1934, contained in your last issue; is incom- prehensible. That Act makes illegal certain incidents which disgraced the Rodeo of -1924; and in consequence those incidents are omitted from the Rodeo of this year. As Mr. MacMichael says, the Act has received the unanimous blessing of the Press throughout the country. Yet, instead of showing gratitude to thoSe who were responsible for perSuading
Parliament to place this measure on the Statute Book in sufficient time to deal with the immediate emergency, he terms it a " hypocritical measure " and demands that it be expunged from the Statute Book. .
Mr. MacMichael's attitude towards the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Bill is even more incomprehensible. It is a one-clause Bill and reads :
" If any person shall produce or exhibit or show by public exhibition, or shall cause or procure, or assist at the producing or exhibiting, any filin in the production of which suffering has or may have been caused to an animal, or any film which shows or depicts or portrays suffering to an animal, and which- is produced or made by any means whatsoever, such person shall be guilty of an offence within the meaning of this Act, and shall be liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, or alternatively, or in addition thereto, to be imprisoned with or without hard labour for any term not exceeding three months."
It has been presented-by Sir Robert Gower, M.P., Chairman of the R.S.P.C.A., and is " backed " by Mr. Lockwood, Sir Cooper Rawson; Wing-Commander James, Mr. Neil Maclean, Mr. Tom Groves, Sir Wilfrid Sugden, Major Gwilym Lloyd George and Mr. Lovat Frazer—Members of Parliament representative of all Parties. Yet Mr. MacMichael says this is " an even more spurious measure " which, if it is passed, should also be expunged from the Statute Book. As I have set out verbatim the operative part of the Bill, your readers will be able to judge what value is to be placed on -Mr. MacMichael's observations.
In conclusion, your readers will join with me in congratulat- ing the R.S.P.C.A. upon its -very fine Parliamentary achieve- ments during recent years.--I am, Sir, &c.,
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