2
Of these 9 were Biharis, 6 Oriyas and the remainder came from Chota
Nagpur. According to religion there were 9 Hindus, 6 Mahomedans and 2
Christians. I regret to state that the majority of these young men are very
inferior in physique and intelligence. There appears to he at present an un-
accountable lack of interest displayed in taking up appointments in the Depart-
ment on the part of the students of the larger schools and colleges. This year
early notices were issued to District Boards, colleges and influential Indian
gentlemen, asking for candidates, hut although the District Boards offered sti-
pends, very few young men availed themselves of them, and many of those
who were accepted withdrew their names when they were asked to join at
Belgachia. In many cases the applicants were inferior in physique and
general education, hut the question of pay and prospects as compared with
other cervices in which manual labour is not so strenuous as in the Veterinary
Department, and also the Bihari's antipathy to go outside his own Province,
especially to Calcutta, for educational purposes, have no doubt a deterrent
effect on would-be aspirants to the Department. In a way this is a blessing,
for it has been apparent for some time, that some other recruits than those
of the writer caste, who form a large proportion of the applicants, are required,
if the Department is to get on. I believe it would be to the advantage of the
Department to establish a college in Bankipore or Muzaffarpur for training
its own Veterinary Assistants; or failing that, in the United Provinces in
conjunction with the Government of those Provinces. Again, the language in
practically the whole of Bihar and Orissa is Hindi, and as only a very small
minority speak or write English, and as the class from whom the Assistants
should come live in the mufassal, a very strong case is made out for the
establishment of a college in this province, where the teaching would be done
in the vernacular. In the Punjab the Veterinary Course is in Urdu, and the
result has been that the Department in that Province is able to recruit from
the best classes, and especially from among those who are most intimately
connected with agriculture, and who would hot have been available had the
course been confined to English-speaking and writing candidates. I am
strongly of opinion that unless a student has a very thorough knowledge of
English he wastes a great deal of his time in trying to gather sense from the
lectures and from the English works to which he must necessarily refer and
in consequence endeavours to memorize without in the least understanding
what is meant. Proposals for ten Government stipends for students willing
to proceed to the Bengal Veterinary College have been submitted, but sanc-
tion has not yet been obtained.
It also appears to be necessary that a second Imperial Officer should be
appointed for teaching the students at Belgachia, and although the present
staff of Indian professors do their best, they have had very little of that
practical experience which is so desirable in those who must train the
students in the way they should work in the mufassil. The Government of
this province should therefore, I suggest, urge the necessity of this increase in
the teaching staff.
The need for good Assistants was as pressing as ever during the year that
has passed, and many more than the four who joined the Department during
the period under report could have been given employment if they had been
available.
PART II.
TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
Reporting of cattle disease is now placed on a better footing than in
previous years owing to the increased interest taken in the Department by most
District Officials and by the Police. The representative of the Co-operative
Societies of the Roman Catholic Mission in Ranchi, Father Hoffmann, reported
at the Co-operative Conference in Simla that disease was very prevalent in
that district and caused great loss. An Inspector was deputed to enquire into