( 12 )
139. Act I (B.C. of 1869), an Act for the prevention of cruelty to animals
has also been extended to the Barhampur and Sonepur Fairs since November
last.
CONTAGIOUS CATTLE DISEASE IN MUFASSAL,
140. Appended will be found a statement extracted from the Calcutta
Gazette showing the reports from the District Officers (Appendix XXIX).
141. I also append a synopsis of transactions in connection with cattle
disease during the year under review (Appendix XXX).
142. Information which sometimes reaches me does not always confirm
these reports, am led to believe that there have been serious losses from
rinderpest and possibly from malignant sore-throat in places which, according to
the Gazette, would appear to have had little or no disease.
143. A tabulated statement showing the districts where outbreaks of
cattle disease occurred during the year 1897-98 is appended in the prescribed
form (Appendix XXXI.)
144. I doubt if any of these returns are very accurate, but they are better,
than nothing.
145. During the year I visited several places to investigate cattle disease,
but in three or four cases I arrived after the outbreaks were practically over ;
this was caused by the necessary information reaching me very late.
146. I therefore addressed the District Officers in accordance with para-
graph 3, line 13 of 983A of 6th June 1897 from the Director of Land Records
(as per Appendix XXXII)
147 Thirty one answers were favourable and thirteen unfavourable. A
synopsis is attached (Appendix XXXIII.)
148. There appear to be certain practical difficulties in the way of
adopting the suggestions I ventured to submit, viz.:—
(a) In many cases the report would be rendered from the thanas in a
dialect other than Hindustani or Bengali) which would require
a translator in this office.
(b) In some districts the thana officers are said to be not intelligent
enough for the work.
(c) It might happen that a zealous Police Officer would report an
epizootic that did not exist.
(This is not likely to occur very frequently, as experience shows that
epizootics are not reported enough).
149. The reports are now under the consideration of the Director of
Laud Records.
150. A very serious question has been raised through the answer received
from the Deputy Commissioner of Lohardaga to the customary letter I issue on
hearing of an outbreak of cattle disease. I beg to append the Deputy Com-
missioner's letter (Appendix XXXIV). Ho says he would willingly employ a
Veterinary Assistant, but has no powers.
I am given to understand that District Boards are in a similar
predicament.
151. I submit this matter is worthy of very early attention, as I have some
12 Veterinary Assistants ready to begin work, who will drift into private
practice if not otherwise employed.
CONTAGIOUS CATTLE DISEASE IN CALCUTTA AND SUBURBS.
152. The two chief diseases are Foot-and-mouth disease and Rinderpest,
others exist, such as Tuberculosis, but they are not so prevalent.
153. Foot-and-mouth disease has been very evident this year. The loss
which it causes by death is not heavy (about 2 per cent. of those attacked) but
the indirect loss caused by the necessity for resting the animals is great. Many
people, too, are careless about dressing the sores which arise from the malady
upon their bullocks' feet, and these become fly-blown and cause the animals'
uselessness to be extended over a longer period.
154. Rinderpest.—It was stated by a late Commissioner of Police that
Rinderpest was in the habit of appearing at certain times of the year. This was
rather a mild way of stating the case, as may be gathered from the fact that the