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I therefore addressed the District Officers in accordance with paragraph 3, line 13 of 983A of 6th June 1897,
from the Director of Land Records.
Thirty-one answers were favorable and thirteen unfavorable. There appear to be certain practical difficulties
in the way of adopting the suggestions I ventured to submit, viz:—
(a). In many cases the report would be rendered from the thanas in a dialect (other than Hindustani or
Bengali), which would require a translator in this office.
(b). In some districts the thana Officers are said to be not intelligent enough for the work.
(c). It might happen that a zealous Police Officer would report an epizootic that did not exist.
(This is not likely to occur very frequently, as experience shows that epizootics are not reported enough). The
reports are now under the consideration of the Director of Land Records.
A very serious question has been raised through the answer received from the Deputy Commissioner of Lohardaga,
to the customary letter I issue on hearing of an outbreak of cattle disease. He says he would willingly employ a
Veterinary Assistant, but has no powers. I am given to understand that District Boards are in a similar predicament.
I submit this, matter is worthy of very early attention, as I have some 12 Veterinary Assistants ready to begin work,
who will drift into private practice if not employed.
The two chief diseases which appear in Calcutta and Suburbs, are Foot and Mouth disease and Rinderpest, others
exist, such as Tuberculosis, but they are not so prevalent.
Foot and Mouth disease has been very evident this year. The loss which it causes by death is not heavy (about
2 per cent. of those attacked) but the indirect loss caused by the necessity for resting the animals is great. Many
people, too, are careless about dressing the sores which arise from the malady upon their bullocks' feet, and these
become fly-blown and cause the animals' uselessness to be extended over a longer period.
Rinder pest It was stated by a late Commissioner of Police that Rinderpest was in the habit of appearing at
certain times of the year. This was rather a mild way of stating the case, as may be gathered from the fact that the
last outbreak begun in October 1896 and is still proceeding. I am speaking from actual admissions into the
Belgatchia Infirmary, but it is not unfair to suggest that the disease prevailed before the date I give.
Unfortunately the Local Police appears to have no special means of gaining information about cattle disease, and
there appears to be no necessity for reporting cattle disease to the Civil Veterinary Department. I have no know-
ledge that any efforts have been made during the year under review to combat Rinderpest in Calcutta. In fact one
of the Chairmen of the Corporation doubted if the word "epizootic" in paragraph 334 of the Municipal Act of 1888,
applied.
In continuation of steps that were recorded in last Annual Report by direction of the Agricultural Department,
I enquired of the Commissioner of Police if he could give me any information as to the number of outbreaks and
deaths from Rinderpest during recent years; he told me that he could not do so, as there were no records in his
office.
I then made the best arrangements I could for gaining the required information, and I ascertained that during
the last four years about 16,757 animals had died of Rinderpest in Calcutta and Suburbs and these animals if
valued at Rs. 25 a head represent a loss of Rs. 4,18,925; but, of course, the indirect loss and inconvenience also
represent a large sum. Needless to say, that the loss is not confined to private cattle; I have ascertained that the
animals in the Municipal gowkhanas and in the jails, &c., also suffer. The Calcutta Municipality appears to suffer
a loss of some Rs. 722 per annum, if I may judge from information to hand.
Rinderpest appeared amongst the animals of the Cossipore Municipality, during the year, but the outbreak was
reported to me by that body, and I was able to send Veterinary students to treat the cases.
The disease also attacked the cattle of the Baranagore Municipality. Here again, I was able to render assistance.
I have been directed to draw up, in consultation with the Director of Land Records, clauses for combating epizoo-
tic cattle disease in Calcutta for consideration in connection with the New Calcutta Municipal Act.
I have sent on my suggestions, the leading idea being to substitute for compulsory slaughter with compensation
as in Europe, compulsory isolation and free treatment, &c., as it is obvious that cattle cannot be slaughtered in
this Province.
Rajputana.
837. Reports on cattle disease have only been received from the district of
Ajmere-Merwara. In all 207 deaths out of 508 have occurred from Rinderpest, or
about 40 per cent.
Foot and Mouth disease, however, has been epidemic, but the losses have been
barely 1 per cent.
838. In a Resolution by the Agent to the Governor-General, Rajputana, on
the work done by the Principal of the Rajputana Veterinary School, it is
stated:—
A branch of his work to which it is hoped that the Principal will devote such time and attention as his school
duties at Head-Quarters will allow, is the diagnosis and check by personal inspection and advice, of cattle diseases
in the villages of the districts of Ajmere-Marwara. It is hoped that the Principal will be able to give this important
subject the attention it deserves. Large numbers of cattle nearly 20,000 were incapacitated by being affected with
Foot and Mouth disease this year, and it is probable that had the Principal been able to go among these affected villages
his advice might have been of great service in preventing the spread of this scourge.
Punjab.
839. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North Punjab,
states:—
With regard to the time the information of outbreaks takes to reach this office I have experienced the same
difficulty as in other Provinces and districts, that people take no notice of two or three animals dying, and it is
not until they suddenly realize that numbers are attacked and dying that a report is made. This passes through
several channels, with delays between each, so that when the report reaches me, and a Veterinary Assistant deputed,
the outbreak has almost invariably been found to have disappeared.
840. Out of a total of 5,728 attacks of Rinderpest, there were 3,117 deaths.
The number of fatalities in Kohat represented about one-third of the total. Guj-
ranwala and Jhelum lost 638 and 593, respectively. With reference to the other
contagious diseases, which he brackets, he says that the number of deaths from
these are comparatively insignificant.
The total of 1,429 of diseases "non-contagious" must be looked upon as very
small, and proves that these figures are entirely unreliable. In the form N it is
shown that the number of cases treated by Veterinary Assistants in his Circle is
16,700 which does not coincide with figures given above, and needs some
explanation.