7
PART VI.—GENERAL REMARKS.
41. A sufficient supply of serum has been received during the year. The number
of doses received in comparison with previous years is shown below :—
Rinderpest
... ...
Anthrax ... ...
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia ...
1919-20.
89,000
9,000
4,000
1918-19.
36,000
10,000
4,000
1917-18.
127,000
6,000
Nil
1916-17.
117,000
6,000
5,500
1915-16.
110,000
19,000
6,000
42. This year there was an extensive outbreak of Rinderpest in the Sylhet
district ; it was again found that the two Veterinary Assistants employed by each
Local Board are quite unable to C3pe with extensive outbreaks. Several urgent
requests from various Local Boards for further assistance was received. Reserve
Assistants were sent when available, but the demand was great and could not always
be met. Assistants from other neighbouring Local Boards where there was no disease
were also drafted to the seats of outbreak. This latter arrangement does not work
well in practice as the Assistants having plenty of work, the other Local Boards are
loathe to dispense with the services of their Assistants, even temporarily.
43. There is still one Local Board which only employs one Veterinary Assistant,
Formerly Government in their Resolution No. 2194-R. of 24th September 1912.
decided that all Local Boards should employ at least two Veterinary Assistants, but
recently the Local Administration has changed this policy and the matter has been
left to the discretion of the Local Boards.
44. The six Reserve Veterinary Assistants were employed most of the time in
filling leave vacancies (chiefly leave on medical certificate). As the number of
Assistants have increased it is now necessary to increase the sanctioned number of
Reserve Assistants.
45. It has been noted elsewhere that a bull was presented to the Silchar Muni-
cipality by the Hon'ble Mr. Kamini Kumar Chanda. This shows a very fine public
spirit and the example might be followed by many other gentlemen. The bull is
given with the object of improving the breed of cattle, but before any real improve-
ment can be made there are other important points to be considered, amongst which
are the castration of all weedy bulls the proper feeding and treatment of calves and
selection of suitable cows for breeding purposes, none of which are carried out or seem
to have any importance by the ordinary cattle owners of Assam.
46. Five Assistants were selected to attend the refresher course for two months
at the Belgachia Veterinary College, but only four attended.
47. Arrangements have now been made to give short simple lectures on cattle
disease to gatherings of village Chowkidars and Gaonburas with the idea of impress-
ing upon them the value of reporting promptly and accurately cattle disease and also
the value of segregation and other preventive methods.
48. The following Veterinary Inspectors are mentioned as having carried out
their duties in a satisfactory and competent manner : —
Babu Guru Prasanna Sen, Veterinary Inspector, Gauhati Circle, and Babu Srish
Chandra Ghosh, Veterinary Inspector, Silchar Circle.
49. During my absence on leave Veterinary Inspector Babu Guru Prasanna Sen
was appointed to officiate and during that time his work was conscientiously carried
out and to the best of his ability.
50. Office Staff.—The office staff in charge of the Head Clerk Babu Basanta
Kumar Chakravarty have carried out their duties in an efficient and satisfactory
manner.
51. The Department is very grateful for the assistance and help which has been
given by District Officers and members of various Local Boards who have taken an
interest in veterinary work and in the general welfare of cattle. I think it is a great
encouragement to Assistants in their work when the Chairman periodically visits the
dispensary. It is hoped all Chairmen will be able to do so from time to time.
52. The Hon'ble the Chief Commissioner of Assam visited the Veterinary Hospi-
tals at Gauhati, Silchar and Shillong and the dispensaries at Sunamganj and Goalpara.
The Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Assam, inspected the dispensaries at
Nazira, Sibsagar, Tezpur, Hailakandi, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sylhet, Golaghat, Silchar
and Habiganj.
W. HARRIS,
Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Assam.