7
prosecutions were made, but in only seven of them were convictions obtained. This
is a very small percentage of the total number of positive cases certified by the
Chemical Examiner.
53. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.--From the figures received
in this office it appears that 3,549 convictions were obtained under the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Act in this Presidency, excluding Madras City, during the last
official year, and in 1,035 eases the animals concerned were sent to Veterinary
infirmaries for treatment. This is a distinct advance on the previous year, but matters
are not yet what they should be, particularly in Gōdāvari district, where 695 convic
tions were obtained in Cocanada and Rajahmundry and only eight of them sent to
the Veterinary hospitals in those towns.
54. There is still a great deal of disinclination on the part of the honorary
magistrates, who try these cases, to order the animals concerned to the infirmary ;
the principal reason given being that if the animals come from an outside village it is
considered too severe a penalty to ask the owner to arrange for their feeding at the
Veterinary hospital. It is obvious, however, that the objects of the Act are frustrated
if an owner is allowed to take his animals back to a village where the Act is not in
force.
55. During the year the Veterinary dispensaries at Pollachi and Srivilliputtur
were declared infirmaries under the Act.
56. Cattle Quarantine Depot, Tuticorin.—During the year 9,918 cattle were
passed for shipment to Ceylon against 4,919 the previous year.
There were two deaths from Anthrax in the depot during the year, and three
cases of foot-and-mouth disease.
At the request of the Colombo authorities 7,807 animals were inoculated against
Rinderpest before they were shipped.
57. Meat inspection.—This was being carried out by a member of this depart
ment in the following towns :—
Calicut, Coonoor, Adōni, Ranipettai, Trichinopoly, Cuddalore, Parlakimedi,
Palghat, Coimbatore, Erode and Guntūr.
It was removed from the Veterinary Assistants in Salem and Negapatam where
it had previously been performed by them.
58. Fairs and Shows.—The Cattle and Pony Show at Tiruppur was held in
June 1919, and two gold medals were awarded by Government for the best bull and
best cow in the Show.
59. Owing to the continued prevalence of Rinderpest in some districts, many of
the annual and weekly cattle fairs were ordered to be closed, and in those annual
fairs which were held the Cattle Disease Act was usually put in force.
This Act was also in force in The Nilgiris throughout the year, in Kodaikanal
taluk for three months, and for varying periods in South Arcot and Chingleput
districts, Kollegal and Gopichettipalayam taluks of Coimbatore, and Māyavaram and
Kumbakōnam taluks of Tanjore.
60. In connection with this Act Government have been asked again to accept
the Superintendent's proposal that the impounding of animals by the pound-keeper
should be permissive instead of compulsory, but final orders have not yet been
received.
61. Toxicology.—A village munsif of Dindigul taluk reported 53 deaths among
cattle from eating a poisonous grass. Samples of the grass were sent for examination
to the Government Agricultural Chemist, who reported it to be Cochin lemon grass,
adding that he could detect in it no poisonous alkaloid or glucoside. If the deaths
resulted from eating this grass it appears they were due to the irritating properties
of the essential oil it contains.
V.—EXPENDITURE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
62. The total Provincial expenditure of the department, excluding veterinary
instruction, rose to Rs. 2,31,783-12-5 from Rs. 2,09,902-1-0 the previous year.
There was a small increase under every head, coincident with the expansion of the