3
The scale of pay for the two lecturers at the Bengal Veterinary Institute
having been revised and fixed at Rs. 150 rising to Rs. 200, two good men from
this College were selected for the appointments. The appointment of Superin-
tendent of Slaughter-houses, Mandalay, Burma, was given to a graduate with a
salary of Rs. 175 rising to Rs. 200.
An application from the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department,
Bengal, asking for the services of three graduates for temporary employment in
the Bengal Presidency under the Glanders Act was received. A similar application
was received for the Superintendentship of the State Paddock at Rájkot, but
up to the end of the year no settlement regarding these appointments had been
arrived at.
Applications for men from the Jodhpur State, for the Ahmedabad Market
Inspectorship, and for temporary itinerating duty in the Karáchi District were
received. Of these three appointments, Jodhpur is still in abeyance ; for Karáchi
the itinerating graduate was transferred from Shikárpur, and the Ahmedabad
Municipality employed a man who was not a graduate, although one was recom-
mended. I am, however, of the opinion that appointments of this description
should always be held by men with special veterinary qualifications.
Owing to the Frontier wars there was a great demand for salutris, and
inquiries were made by the Commissariat Transport Department whether such
men were available at the College. I had to reply that there were none. Our
present men refuse such appointments, not only for want of sufficient remunera-
tion, but because of the nature of the work they would have to perform. In my
report on the two years' course I have brought to the notice of Government that
for such work, and also for continuous travelling duty, men from the labouring
classes should only be trained and that such training should be given in Hindustáni,
a language more or less understood by every community in India, as it is rare
to find men of this class with even a rudimentary knowledge of English.
Besides, they must be men able to stand hard work. These men too, it has been
pointed out, will be useful for employment as municipal market inspectors and
veterinarians to petty Native States who are unable to employ graduates.
Cattle-disease repression.
5. Rinderpest broke out in almost all the districts in the Presidency, but,
except Karáchi, no district asked for the services of
a graduate. In Bombay there was a severe outbreak
of foot and mouth disease and a mild one of rinderpest in June 1897, when, at my
recommendation, the Bombay Municipality appointed Mr. H. Foy, G.B.V.C.,
as an Inspector to inspect all milch cattle in the town. He did this work for
a month only. These diseases having again broken out, the services of
Mr. Mahomedkhan Bowakhan, G.B.V.C., were at once entertained in December
last, and he continues to serve.
Extra duties.
6. The following extra duties were performed
by me :—
(a) Controlled the Glanders and Farcy Department in Bombay.
(b) Advised as to the management and treatment of animals at the
Victoria Gardens, in the capacity of Honorary Veterinary Surgeon.
(c) Inspected horses in Bombay and Bándra stables, at the Harbour
and the Sewri Lazaretto.
(d) Acted as Co-examiner at the Bombay University in veterinary sub-
jects for the Diploma and Second in Agriculture Examinations.
(e) Treated sick animals belonging to the Commissariat Department.
(f) Performed the duties of receiving and despatching stallions im-
ported for the Civil Veterinary Department.
15 horses and 36 donkeys were landed and despatched. Besides this,
29 Arab and other stallions purchased in Bombay were received and des-
patched. In this work I was assisted by Veterinary-Lieutenant Baldrey and
Mr. Dhákmárvála.
(g) Served as a Government member of the Bombay Municipal Corpo-
ration.