No.
2022,
REVENUE,
4TH
SEPTEMBER
1915,
3
during 1913-14. In the first and second year classes, the percentages of passes
were 75 and 94 against 84 and 79 in the previous year. As observed by the Board
of Examiners, the results were satisfactory. It was, however, noticed by the exam
iners that there was a tendency on the part of the students to neglect the practical
side of their profession. The Principal attributes this to the fact that the practical
classes were taken by new lecturers in his own absence for two months and that of
several experienced members of the teaching staff for varying periods during the
year on account of leave and other causes. In order to increase the output of veteri
nary graduates to meet the growing demand for veterinary officers in this Presidency,
Government have raised the number of annual admissions to the college from 20
to 30. The Board is glad to note that the Principal experienced no difficulty in
securing the required number of passed candidates for admission to the college in
January 1915. Increased accommodation has been provided during the year in the
hostel attached to the college.
4. Veterinary hospitals and dispensaries.—During the year under review new
hospitals were opened at Cuddalore and Calicut in permanent buildings and at
Coonoor in a rented building. A dispensary was opened at Gruntūr and three
minor dispensaries at Rānipéttai, Adōni and Srīvilliputtūr in rented buildings.
The dispensary at Ellore was converted into a hospital and moved into the
permanent buildings newly erected for it. Cocanada hospital was also moved
from temporary into new buildings during the year. From the figures furnished
the Board observes that satisfactory work was done at the hospitals at
Coimbatore, Pithāpuram, Bellary, Rajahmundry, Ellore, Tanjore and the dispen
sary at Tinnevelly, the work at the last-mentioned institution having been parti
cularly good. The large fall in the number of patients treated at the Trichinopoly hos
pital is explained by the Superintendent to be due to the cessation of the practice of
sending all S.P.C.A. cases compulsorily to the hospital for treatment. The
Superintendent, however, adverts to the advisability of sending for treatment
to the Veterinary hospital, where one exists, animals involved in cases in which
convictions have been secured. The Board considers the suggestion to be a good one
and requests that steps may be taken to carry it out. As compared with the previous
year there was a large fall in the number of animals shipped to Colombo from the
Cattle Quarantine depot at Tuticorin. This is attributed mainly to the dislocation
of the shipping service on account of the war and partly to an outbreak of anthrax
in the depot. Owing to this outbreak, the depot was removed as a temporary
measure from the site referred to in the previous year's report to the Cooly Emigra
tion depot at Tattaparai. The question of the selection of a permanent site for the
location of the depot is now pending with Government,
5. Diseases.—Table XV shows an increase in the mortality of cattle over that
reported in each of the three previous years. According to this statement, there was
an increase under every contagious disease except blackquarter and "others."
Unusually severe outbreaks of rinderpest occurred in several districts, especially
Kurnool, Guntūr, Kistna and Nellore, with the result that the number of deaths
from this disease shows a very large increase in spite of vigorous measures taken to
combat it. The mobile corps of veterinary assistants was employed during the year in
the districts of Kurnool and Nellore. It is creditable that 13,690 inoculations were
performed by a single touring veterinary assistant in Nellore.
6. Subordinate establishment—The department was strengthened during the
year by the appointment of thirteen graduates of the Madras Veterinary College as
veterinary assistants. Excluding one veterinary assistant who resigned his
appointment and another whose services were dispensed with, there were at
the end of the year seven inspectors, one of whom was a sub. pro tem. officer,
and 82 veterinary assistants. 94,944 head of cattle were inoculated against
rinderpest during the year under report, while the number so inoculated in
the previous year was 33,947. The number of cases treated by veterinary
assistants and inspectors on tour was 21,483 against 12,264 in 1913-14 and
the number of castrations performed by these officers was 4,998 against 4,436 in the
previous year. The figures under these heads show satisfactory increases.
7. Pony-breeding operations.—One of the three stallions which remained at stud.
at the end of the year 1913-14 was found unserviceable during the latter half of the year