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No. 627 of 1920.
GENERAL DEPARTMENT (VETERINARY).
Office of the Commissioner in Sind,
Government House, Karachi, 14th July 1920.
MEMORANDUM.
The Commissioner in Sind has the honour to submit the report of the
Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, Sind, Baluchistan and Rajputana,
on the working of the Veterinary Department in Sind during the year
1919-1920.
Charge.
2. Mr. Cattell was in charge of the Department up to the 19th July
1919 when he proceeded on combined leave and was
succeeded by Mr. Farbrother who held charge to the
end of the year.
Mortality statistics.
3. It is satisfactory to note that the total reported mortality from con-
tagious disease fell from 4,125 in the previous year
to 1,688 in the year under report.
The year was undoubtedly more healthy than the previous one: but as
the Superintendent points out, reporting of disease is still very poorly done.
Inoculation.
4. Preventive inoculations against rinderpest were carried out in the
case of three outbreaks, the number of animals inocu-
lated being 975 against 1,069 animals inoculated in
six outbreaks during the previous year.
Professional work.
5. The number of cases treated at the dispensaries shows an increase of
1,286 over the figure of last year. The number of
animals treated by the Veterinary Assistants on tour
also rose by 64.
Dispensaries.
6. No new dispensaries were opened during the year under report owing
to the dearth of qualified Veterinary Assistants.
Additional dispensaries are much needed and the want
of Assistants is a very serious matter. Government have been asked to increase
the number of scholarships at the Veterinary College.
Sind scholars at the Bombay
Veterinary College.
7. Owing to the alteration in the date of the collegiate year from Jan-
uary to August no new students were sent to the
Veterinary College.
Breeding operation.
8. The District Local Board Arab stallion "Bahadur" at Larkana
covered 59 mares against 43 in the previous year,
and the two District Local Board bulls in the Upper
Sind Frontier district covered 63 cows during the year.
Willingdon Cattle Farm.
9. The site for the Willingdon Cattle Farm near Karachi has now been
finally selected after careful enquiry as to the water
available. It is hoped to open it next year and a
selected Veterinary Assistant to take up the post of Manager of the farm, has
been deputed to the Poona Agricultural College to undergo one year's training
in farming and dairying, etc. In the meanwhile a nucleus of the herd is being
formed at the Mirpurkhas Agricultural Farm where the cattle are doing very
well.
Fairs and shows.
10. Only one cattle show was held during the year at Larkana while
three were held at Mirpurkhas, Larkana and Ghotki
last year.
Financial.
11. The total expenditure of the Department amounted to Rs. 1,24,500
as compared with Rs. 1,27,200 in the preceding
year.
General remarks.
12. No orders have as yet been received on the proposals for the separa-
tion of the Sind Veterinary charge from that of
Baluchistan and Rajputana referred to Government
in January 1918. It is desirable in the interests of the work that the enormous
area which the Superintendent is at present supposed to supervise should be
divided up.
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