Extract from the Proceedings
of the Chief Commissioner of Assam in the Revenue
Department, No. 2533 R., dated the 19th August 1919.
READ—
The Report of the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Assam, on the administration
of the Civil Veterinary Department, Assam, for the year 1918-19 and the review thereon by
the Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Assam.
RESOLUTION.
AT the close of the year the staff of the department Was strengthened by the
appointment of eight Veterinary Assistants and the provincial cadre of 51 Assistants is
now full. There are now few openings for passed students and, with the consent of the
Government of Bengal, it has been arranged that this year instead of sending six
students to the Belgachia Veterinary College, this province will send only two and
will depute five of the Veterinary Assistants now in service for a two months' " re-
fresher " course. For the next few years the number of stipends granted to veterinary
students will be small and it is intended to send ten Veterinary Assistants to Belga-
chia each year for a two months' course. The object of this scheme, which was
mentioned in paragraph 5 of the Resolution of last year, is to enable Assistants to
keep their professional knowledge up to date.
2. The Chief Commissioner is glad to find a notable decrease in the number of
deaths reported from contagious disease, especially in the districts of Sylhet and
Kamrup, which in the preceding year suffered severely from epidemics. The deaths
among cattle were about a third of those in the preceding year, and much less than
in any of the past five years. It is true, as the Director says, that much reliance
cannot be placed on the returns, but so great a reduction in the deaths reported must
correspond to some real reduction of the mortality. The Superintendent has sug-
gested that an improvement in the returns of cattle-disease might be effected by
giving at gatherings of village chaukidars a few simple lectures on cattle-disease,
explaining the need for prompt and early reports, the proper procedure for reporting,
and the value of segregation, etc. Sir Nicholas Beatson Bell thinks that the
experiment may well be tried, especially if lantern-slides can be arranged. In any
case this lino of action is mora hopeful than the distribution of pamphlets. It is of
great importance that the Veterinary staff should have the earliest possible notice
of outbreaks of contagious disease. There was a considerable decrease in the total
number of inoculations owing to the decrease in the number of outbreaks of rinder-
pest.
3. The Director of Land Records and Agriculture has drawn attention to the
failure on the part of certain Local Boards to employ a second Veterinary Assistant.
In his Resolution on the administration of the Veterinary Department for the year
1911-12, Sir Archdale Earle impressed on all Local Boards the necessity for appointing
two Veterinary Assistants, and promised financial aid to those Boards which could not
afford the additional staff. Accordingly an annual contribution of Rs. 1,000 was
sanctioned to the Local Boards of Barpeta, Goalpara, Mangaldai, Golaghat, North
Lakhimpur and Hailakandi, to take effect from the date on which they should
entertain a second Veterinary Assistant. It appears from the Superiatendent's
report that of these Boards the Golaghat Local Board alone entertained a second
Veterinary Assistant during the year. The Chief Commissioner cannot but regret
this, especially as it appears that the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department,
failed to explain to the Boards that they would receive a grant from Government to
cover the cost.
4. The Shillong Farm is dealt with in the resolution on the work of the Agri-
cultural Department, and the Chief Commissioner agrees with the Director that no
account of the farm cattle need appear in the report of the Veterinary Department
5. The Chief Commissioner is glad to note that Mr. Harris successfully managed
his department throughout the year, in spite of the fact that he had to work with a
depleted staff. Mr. Harris has now gone on well-earned leave and the Chief Commis-
sioner has gladly taken advantage of this opportunity to place an Indian Inspector,
Babu Guru Prasanna Sen, in temporary charge of the Department.