164
The time of the Superintendent is so fully occupied with horse-
breeding operations that he cannot be expected to make these frequent visits
to the several dispensaries, and it is very evident that proper inspection cannot
be carried out until there is an Officer appointed for this special work.
Court of Wards Dispensaries.—Mamdote State Veterinary Dispensary.
The number of animals treated during the year was 551, of these 128 were in-
patients and 423 out-patients. In the previous year 529 animals were treated.
Receipts and Expenditure.—A Statement showing Receipts and
Expenditure of Veterinary Dispensaries during 1897-98, is given in Table O.
Remarks.—It will be seen that more patients have been treated in every
Veterinary Dispensary than in the previous year.
953. A Veterinary Dispensary should be started at Delhi. Those in other
large towns, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana are doing very good work.
N.-W. Provinces.
954. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North-Western
Provinces and Oudh, states:—
There is no Veterinary Dispensary in these Provinces except the one attached to the Government Farm,
Cawnpur. The scheme for starting dispensaries in these Provinces is under consideration, and on the 29th December
1897, I submitted an estimate of the initial and annual cost of such hospitals. The initial cost being put at Rs. 180,
and annual cost for maintaining a Veterinary Dispensary at Rs. 850. This of course is putting it at the very
lowest figure, and is on the assumption that a suitable building could be secured free of rent. The average cost of
each Dispensary throughout North and South Punjab, Bombay, Central Provinces and Bengal, is about Rs. 1,500 a
year inclusive of rent. In order to encourage and assist the working of the Veterinary Dispensary at the
Experimental Farm, Cawnpur, we supplied to the Assistant Director about Rs. 60 worth of medicines and instruments.
Forms were also suggested for the keeping up of Registers for in and out-patients. It is reported that 24 cases were
treated at the Dispensary during 1897-98 against 75 last year. Of these 20 were in-patients and 4 were treated
as out-patients. One case died and the remainder were cured.
955. From the number of patients treated during the year in the Cawnpur
Veterinary Dispensary it seems scarcely worth while continuing it, certainly
not under the present arrangements. By all means have a Veterinary Hospital
attached to the Government Farm, but it should not be called a Veterinary
Dispensary. It is strongly recommended that a Veterinary Dispensary be
established in the city of Cawnpur where it would be easily accessible to
owners of animals, and it would then be found extremely popular, and would
probably have an annual admission roll of four or five thousand just as they
have in the Punjab.
956. It is to be regretted that no Veterinary Dispensaries have been
established in these Provinces where the wealth in cattle is enormous. The
many large towns could easily support valuable institutions, and it is only
necessary to start them to show how popular they would become. But they
must be thoroughly well organised, worked with energy, and frequently
supervised. It is not expected that the present Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, can devote much attention to these valuable institutions
as his time is already fully occupied with horse-breeding operations, but it shows
the urgent necessity for the services of another Superintendent. This Officer's
whole time would be devoted to cattle-breeding, investigations, and prevention
of epidemics, and he would also supervise Veterinary Assistants and Dispensaries.
957. It will be noted that Veterinary Dispensaries are about to be
established, and it is hoped that they will be well worked in order to prove the
value of these excellent institutions.
958. Considering the size of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, and
the enormous wealth represented by cattle, the annual grants for everything
connected with bulls, purchase, feed, carriage, &c., of Rs. 1,000 can scarcely
be called liberal. Nor can the grant for medicines, &c., of Rs. 1,700 be
considered any thing like sufficient, and unless more liberality is shown for these
valuable purposes it cannot be expected that Veterinary science can do much
to help the agriculturists in their urgent need.
959. Very meagre information has been given by the Superintendent,
Civil Veterinary Department, North Punjab, about the work done by the
Dispensaries. In his annual report he only mentions that no new Dispensaries
have been opened during the year. Sialkot with its branches at Daska and
Pasrur appears to be doing good work, and as they have been the means of
curing some 4,006 out of a total of 5,862 treated.