( 2 )
10. (3) Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries.—Table V shows the working
of the Hospitals and Dispensaries which numbered 23 during the year. The
number of animals treated by the Itinerant Veterinary Assistants in villages
during the year is shown in Table V.
11. The following information is extracted from the reports submitted
by the Chairman of the various Dispensary Committees.
12. An out-patients' shed, chaukidars' quarters, a godown and an additional
room for the Veterinary Assistant's quarters were added during the year
to the Sitamarhi Dispensary. No information is to be gathered from the
Chairman's report on the Patna Dispensary. I regret to say that I found the
Committee appointed to supervise the work of this dispensary entirely neglected
to visit the place once throughout the year, which shows they take no interest
in it whatever. My remarks and those which my Inspectors made in the
visitors' book with reference to improvements, etc., might as well have never
been written for all the good they did. The construction of an operation
shed, chaukidars' quarters and a store-room for the Gaya Dispensary has
been sanctioned. The Veterinary Assistant in charge, U. L. Sen Gupta, is
a good worker. A site has been selected by the Director of Land Records
and Agriculture, Bengal, and the Chairman of the District Board for a stable
for in-patients for the dispensary at Cuttack, and the work will be taken in
hand as soon as funds are allotted by the Board. I should be glad if the
Veterinary Committee here could be induced to show some interest in this
institution. Veterinary Assistant S. N. Dutt might be given more encourage-
ment than he appears to get. The Balasore Dispensary still continues to
carry on its work in a hired house. A shoeing forge has been attached to the
Dispensary at Muzaffarpur. A plan and estimate for the construction of sheds
for in-patients at the Howrah Dispensary were prepared and the work will
be taken up us soon as funds are allotted. The dispensary at Ranchi was
removed during the year to a more suitable building and the cost defrayed
by the District Board. The dispensary buildings at Dinajpur have not yet
been constructed. (There was some difficulty in obtaining ground for the
purpose, which, however, has since been acquired.) The district work of
Chittagong suffered through the Veterinary Assistant's having taken up an
appointment at Angul. I could not replace him. Noakhali was forced to
close its dispensary from June 1904 for want of a Veterinary Assistant. For
similar reasons the dispensary at Tippera remained closed during 1903-1904,
but was re-opened during the year under report and has been doing very useful
work indeed.
13. The falling off in the number of out-patients treated at the Sitamarhi
Dispensary is reported to be due to the absence of any epidemic diseases, whilst
that of the Burdwan is said to be due to the absence of the Veterinary Assistant
as he was deputed to attend a special training in serum inoculation at Bareilly.
I do not think that his temporary absence for five weeks could materially
affect the work. The matter will be enquired into. A satisfactory advance was
made at the Palamau Dispensary, the number of patients having increased from
398 in the year 1903-1904 to 683 during the year under report. Purnea owing
to the dispensary being very badly situated has done little or nothing. I have
approved of a site for erecting a new building on and which, I gather, will be
taken in hand early.
III.-BREEDING OPERATIONS.
(1) Bovines—
14. (i) Stud bulls and their produce.—There was a fairly constant demand
for bulls from District Boards and Jails chiefly required for improving milch-
breeds, but we are not yet in a position to help them as we have no source from
which we can supply them and there are no milch-breeds in the Province except
Taylor's Patna cattle. We have five bulls at Belgachia which bull the cows of
goalas in the neighbourhood, but there is no information forthcoming with
regard to their produce. Four of them are now useless and the fact has been
intimated to the Director of Land Records. All kinds and conditions of milch-
cattle have been in the habit of being bulled by them.