2
efficiency. Mr. Steel's proposal that three selected graduates should be appoint-
ed temporary College and Hospital Assistants would have received the favour-
able consideration of Government had it not been that he had not made any
adequate provision for his scheme in his Budget Estimates for 1889-90. The
matter should be re-submitted in time for the necessary action to be taken in
1890-91.
4. Another somewhat pressing need of the College is a bacteriological
laboratory so as to enable the management to institute distinct classes for
microscopic work which are necessary in order to obtain the recognition by the
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons of the diplomas of the Bombay College.
A separate report on this subject should be submitted.
5. The question of the remuneration of veterinary graduates employed by
Local Boards, Chiefs, &c., is one as to which Government are not prepared to
lay down any fixed rules. Bodies employing such men however will have to
recognize that their College education and their status as graduates will entitle
them to a higher rate of pay than what is looked on as sufficient for those untrained
persons who now perform veterinary duties. His Excellency in Council is pleased
to observe that applications for the services of graduates have been received from
Municipalites, Local Boards, Native States, Native Cavalry, Transport, Police,
and Provincial Governments. The total number of applications received should
have been stated and it should have been reported what steps have been taken
to comply with them.
6. The Financial Statement submitted by Mr. Steel as Appendix E is so
entirely unintelligible as to lead Government to believe that the Committee
have not prescribed a form of balance sheet as they were requested to do in the
Resolution reviewing last year's report. In the first place the sums received in
payment of fees, both for past and current years, have been omitted from the
statement though given separately below and secondly the total has been
wrongly calculated, Rs. 15 (extras from a casual student) having been omitted.
It is not understood what is meant by " total amount paid by the Veterinary
College," as an item on the receipt side of the balance sheet unless it refers to
the amount paid by the Veterinary College to the Accountant General to its
own credit. Further the statement has been miscalled a balance sheet, for no
balance has been struck. The special attention of the Principal should be
drawn to the exceedingly inaccurate way in which these accounts have been
presented. It is impossible to say from the so-called balance sheet whether the
income of the College was Rs. 7,085 + Rs. 15 + Rs. 4,275 or only Rs. 7,085.
The latter amount is that mentioned in the body of the report. The cost to
Government is given as Rs. 18,854-3-3, but the correctness of this statement
cannot be ascertained from the report, nor can a comparison be made with last
year's figures. In future the figures for the year under report and those for
the preceding year should be shown for purposes of comparison. It is not
satisfactory to find that the arrears of fees for 1886-87 and 1887-88 still amount
to Rs. 750. During the year Rs. 540 only due for those years were recovered
and Rs. 660 have been realized since the close of the year on account of the fees
for 1888-89. It should be reported how much of the outstanding balance is con-
sidered irrecoverable and the reasons for its being regarded as such should be
detailed. The orders recently issued by Government as to pre-payment of fees
should in future be strictly adhered to.
7. His Excellency in Council is pleased to observe that the appointment
of a permanent Board of Examiners made in July 1888 is regarded with satis-
faction by the teaching authorities of the College. The rules concerning exami-
nations which have been submitted for the approval of Government will be
dealt with in a separate Resolution.
8. There was no change during the year in the number of free-students,
but Mr. Steel has recommended that the names of two be struck off on account
of non-attendance. All did fairly well in the examination. One student
attended specially for practical work and two transport employés were sent for
practical study in the Hospital by the Commissary General.
9. His Excellency in Council notices with much regret that the new
quarters built for the Instructor in Practical Shoeing and Farriery were so in-
sanitary as to cause serious injury to the health of Mr. Stanley the newly
appointed Instructor and of his family. It is hoped that the arrangements now