3
and the selection was made in March from amongst the students who joined in
January. This system has been changed and a new one adopted. According
to this new system, out of the total number of 21 scholarships 12 are placed at
the disposal of the Director of Agriculture for selection and 9 at the disposal of
the Principal. The Director will annually select men to fill up the vacancies
on the list of these 12 scholars and the men selected will enter as scholars in
January. The Principal will also annually select men for the vacancies on the
list of 9 scholars in March from among other students who entered the College
in January. In selecting his scholars, the Director will consult such District
Officers as take an interest in the matter and every effort will be made by him
to make the choice a matter of real individual selection.
As stated in the last Annual Report, there were 16 men on the Govern-
ment scholarship list at the close of the year 1907-1908. Of these 16 men,
one died, two left on having passed the Diploma Examination in December last
and two on having failed at the first Professional Examination, thus leaving
11 scholarship-holders and 10 vacancies on the list in January 1909. According
to the new system, out of these vacancies 6 were allotted to the Director of
Agriculture for the selection of candidates and 4 were left to the Principal.
Four of the vacancies were filled up by men selected by the Director of
Agriculture from the applicants to him and 2 by students who had already
joined the College with a view to compete at the scholarship examination to
be held by the Principal in March. Two men only competed at this examina-
tion and only one of them was selected, the other being rejected because he was
a resident of a Native State and not one of the Districts of this Presidency.
Thus three scholarships were left vacant, the number of men on the Govern-
ment scholarship list at the end of the official year being 18.
The new system was only recently sanctioned and, I believe, did not receive
wide publicity although the vacancies on the list of scholars and the system of
awarding them were advertised in the newspapers together with the opening of
the College course. I, however, trust that it will be sufficiently known to
people to attract the proper class of men to compete for the vacant sholarships
next year.
BAI SAKERBAI DINSHAW PETIT HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS.
5. The records of the Bai Sakerbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals
give the following information relative to the patients admitted :—
(a) The number of in-patients treated were 3,015 as against 2,480 and
2,528 in 1907 and 1906, respectively, showing an increase of 555 on the
previous year. The various classes of animals admitted were as follows :—
horses 717, cattle including goats, etc., 1,878, and dogs, cats, etc., 420. The
daily average was 219, an increase of 17 over the previous year.
(6) The number of out-patients treated was 1,049 as compared to 993
in 1907 and 992 in 1906.
(c) The mortality in horses was 6.27 per cent., in cattle 3.88 per cent.,
and in dogs 30 per cent. as compared to 3.90, 3.62 and 29.69, respectively,
in 1907 and 3.59, 2.33 and 23.52, repectively, in 1906.
I may mention that the large death percentage among dogs is practically
due to the large number of rabies cases.
(d) The number of operations performed during the year was 247 as
against 383 and 328 in 1907 and 1906, respectively.
TRAINING OF DRESSERS..
6. Seventeen bullock drivers of the Supply and Transport Divisions,
Quetta, Secunderabad and Mhow went through a course of training as dressers
during the three months' vacation of the College and 15 of them were at the
end of the course considered competent to perform the work of dressers.
EMPLOYMENT OF GRADUATES.
7. Out of 17 students who passed the Diploma Examination during this
year two have been employed as Assistant Veterinary Officers at the College,