3
The percentage of passes was 90 per cent. in the Punjab, 66 per cent. in
Bombay and 47 per cent. in Bengal.
14. The results at the Bengal Veterinary College were not so satisfactory
as in former years, only 47 per cent. passing the final test against 80 per cent.
last year. This is due to the fact that the teaching staff employed during the
year was quite inadequate. There was only one Imperial Veterinary Officer
present in Bengal and he held two posts, viz , Superintendent of the Provincial
Veterinary Department and Principal of the Bengal College. It is of course
quite impossible for one man to lecture and teach in a College and attend to
district duties satisfactorily as well, so that either one of these duties becomes'
a purely nominal one or both are badly performed. Mr. Burke, the Assistant
Principal, on whom the bulk of the teaching work usually fell was absent in
Europe on furlough so that the teaching staff consisted entirely of graduates
from Indian Colleges.
15. The inadequacy of this staff was represented and in January 1905 a
Conference was appointed to consider the matter and a scheme for the reorgani-
zation of the Department was evolved which provides for an Imperial officer
whose whole time will be devoted to College work. It was, however, necessary
to obtain a man from England to fill the post and he did not arrive in time to
be of any service this year. The results in the Punjab and Madras were very
good and considerable improvement has taken place in Bombay.
16. There were 512 students remaining under instruction at the end of the
year and 296 new students were admitted during the year as against 331 re-
maining under tuition and 262 new students admitted last year.
17. The demand for Veterinary Assistants is now very great indeed, not
only to fill the ranks of the Subordinate Veterinary Department, but also from
the Army and other sources, and every endeavour is being made to accom-
modate and turn out as many graduates as possible. The number of students
has been increased by 100 in the Punjab College which is now arranging for
permanent classes aggregating 250, and in Bengal 50 more men are under
training.
18. Considerable attention has been devoted to the improvement of the
buildings and equipment of the various Colleges and large grants of money
have been made for the purpose. In the Punjab College, in the division of
Surgery, the Professor has been provided with two new offices and an out-
patient clinic ward, fitted with all the conveniences necessary for his work.
In the division of Contagious disease and Sanitary Science, a new laboratory,
lecture room and office has been provided adjoining the segregation ward and
equipped with all necessary apparatus. A large lecture room and museum has
been added to the main buildings and sanction has been accorded to the erection
of a hostel for the accommodation of the students, new anatomical rooms,
stables, dog kennels and dead house.
19. In connection with the Bengal Veterinary College, the following
improvements were sanctioned by Government :—A new hostel, Assistant Prin-
cipal's quarters, dissection room, operation theatre, isolation boxes, sheds for
cattle and Hospital Surgeon's quarters. The Public Works Department have
unfortunately only been able to complete one of these, viz., the dissection
room.
20. At Bombay, a Conference held in 1904 had proposed that the educa-
tional and residential quarters of the College should gradually be located on
a site in the grounds of the Government House, Parel. The idea of the exten-
sion on the Government House site was given up and preference given to the
adjoining premises of Mr. Framji Bomanji Jeejibhoy, which have been bought
at a cost of Rs. 1,00,023 and buildings for the College and students' quarters
have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 2,08,000. The work has already com-
menced and it is expected that the buildings will be ready for occupation by
the end of the next official year. In addition to this, Rs. 1,147 were spent on
putting the present buildings into repair.