12
It would thus appear that the Civil Veterinary Department as the
custodian of livestock contributes immensely to conserve the chief national
Wealth of the country. Besides its share of contribution towards public
health through control of milk and meat borne diseases and through control
of other intercommunicable diseases between man and animal, though very
little thought of, has been immense. In fact veterinary service is of such
national importance that it should engage serious thought and attention of
every one who has the good of the country at heart. Any expenditure
however significant should be considered to have been well spent to reorga-
nise and develop this much needed and most useful of the nation-building
departments. To retrace its past history one cannot deny that the Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam, had not been given the same attention as
had been given to other nation building departments.
62. The Civil Veterinary Department, Assam, besides control of and
scientific investigation and research into animal diseases took an active
interest and substantially contributed to the work of livestock improvement
in Assam. I myself acted as an Ex-officio member of the Executive Com-
mittee of the Provincial Livestock Improvement Association, Assam.
Twenty-six of my Veterinary Assistant Surgeons served as Branch Secretaries
or Agents of Branch Livestock Improvement Associations in districts and
Subdivisions. They in all attended 32 meetings, inspected 207 breeding
bulls stationed in different districts, castrated 34,251 scrub bulls in connec-
tion with livestock improvement work. Besides they secured 37 members
to the Association and collected donation of bulls and cash money to the
extent of Rs.480. It would thus appear that contribution of the Civil
Veterinary Department, Assam, towards the improvement of livestock is not
mean.
63. The question of more grazing lands and grazing reserves is a
burning one and too much pressure is being brought upon for more grazing
areas. While the anxiety of livestock owners to add to the already existing
grazing lands is appreciated it must be said that it is not an unmixed
blessing. If the cause of propagation of such highly infectious diseases as
Rinderpest, Anthrax, Foot and Mouth Disease, helminthic infection,
etc., which put a heavy drain on cattle resources of the province each year,
is traced it will be found that not infrequently these are gifts of common
pasture lands where large number of cattle from different areas are congre-
gated for grazing. There is still the other side of the shield to be looked
at. It must be conceded that general indifference of average cattle owners
to grow fodder is too patent a fact requiring comments. If this common
apathy is even partly attributable to the existing grazing facilities in Assam
then provision of extended grazing areas is bound to have a greater
repercussion on our livestock. It seems therefore that to resist diseases and
to make our stock more efficient we should not only overcome injudicious
breeding, milk-starvation of calves and over-stocking but we must also
educate our ryots to grow sufficient fodders for cattle in their own control-
lable limited holdings.
64. While contagious diseases reflect very seriously on any attempt to
improve the animal industry in Assam nefarious activities of cattle poison-
ing by interested parties for hides and bones under the cover of epidemics
and sometimes oven in absence of epidemics put the last straw on camel's
back so that ignorant ryots sustain heavy losses year after year seldom
realising the mischief wrought upon them. While I acknowledge with
thanks the active co-operation of the executive authorities with the Civil
Veterinary Department, in respect of some of the affected areas which had