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A special Veterinary Assistant was placed in charge of each stallion, and he
was required to tour with the stallion in the big villages around his head-quarters for
a few days each month, his tour programme being published in the District Gazette.
The three stallions between them covered 138 mares giving an average of 46 per
stallion, compared with 36 the previous year, and 21 the year before that.
A special report has to be made to the Board on the question of the utility of
continuing these equine breeding operations in this Presidency.
(iii) Fairs and shows.—The usual shows were held at Ongole, Tiruppur and
Madura during the year, and a separate report submitted to Government in each case.
For the better inspection and treatment of animals at the big cattle fairs, at
which the Cattle Diseases Act is enforced, Collectors of the districts concerned were
addressed and asked to limit the number of entrances into the fair ground as much
as possible, and provide the Veterinary Assistant with a pound and temporary
dispensary building, to all of which acquiescence was given.
IV.—SUBORDINATE STAFF.
(i) Executive Staff.—At the close of the year under review the staff consisted of
7 Inspectors and 71 Assistants, of whom ten were on probation. Ten graduates
of the Madras Veterinary College were newly entertained during the year, two
assistants' services were dispensed with, one was lent to the Forest department and
another, Krishnamurti Ayyar, who had been Hospital Surgeon at Madras for some
time past, was appointed as lecturer at the College.
(ii) Office establishment.—Owing to the large increase in correspondence
consequent on the expansion of the department, sanction was obtained during the year
for the employment of two additional clerks, and the scale of pay of all the clerks was
raised.
Although the pay of the head clerk was raised to Rs. 65—4/2—85, M.R.Ry. T. V.
Srinivasa Ayyar, who was then the incumbent, asked to be retransferred to the
Board's office. At the close of the year the post was held by M.R.Ry. R. Sankara-
lingam Pillai transferred from the Board's office.
V.—EXPENDITURE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
This amounted to Rs. 1,20,851-0-4 which is an increase over the previous year
of Rs. 14,917-13-3.
With the exception of Imperial superintendence there is an increase under every
head, especially subordinate establishment and hospitals.
This is easily accounted for by the growth of the department, employment of
more staff and increments in pay of those already serving.
VI.—GENERAL REMARKS.
The year under report was noteworthy for one great advance. Owing to the
extremely slow rate of increase of permanent hospitals in the Presidency, Government
sanctioned a scheme for opening in places where they are required "minor"
dispensaries, i.e., dispensaries located in a hired building, without waiting for any of
the usual accessory structures to be built.
The demand from local bodies for these institutions already exceeds the supply
of assistants available for them and it is hoped that several will be opened during the
current year.
Another important subject on which correspondence took place during the year
was the question of meat inspection at municipal slaughter-houses by qualified
veterinary graduates.
Owing to the comparatively small number of such men available in this Presi-
dency no attempt appears to have been made up to the present to employ those that
do exist in this capacity. However, on the receipt of references on the question of
tuberculosis and the prevalence of the Onocherca Gibsonii in cattle, both of which
conditions are most commonly observed in the slaughter-house, the opportunity was
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