7
The cost of the Amritsar dispensary was borne by the Municipal Com-
mittee, of that at Jalálábád by the Mamdot estate and of the others by the
District Boards. There can be no question that these institutions when properly
supervised do excellent work and in the South Punjab they are generally well
looked after. The Superintendent of the North Punjab reports that those in his
charge appear to be doing good work. He has given no statistics of patients
treated or of the cost. The number of patients has increased in every districts
for which returns have been submitted in spite of the apppreciable reduction in
the number of animals in the country caused by the late operations on the
frontier. It is primâ facie evident therefore that the dispensaries are growing
in popularity. The Deputy Commissioner of Umballa recommended that the
hospital at that place be closed and the money devoted to other purposes. I did
not agree with him but have postponed a final decision until I can inspect the
place. The comparatively poor attendance Captain Parsons complained of
appears to be due more to frequent changes in the staff than to a want of appre-
ciation on the part of the owners of animals.
Working of the subordi-
nate establishment.
12. In last year's report the attention of District Officers was called to
the lack of supervision over the Veterinary Assistants.
The same complaint is made this year but the only officials
who can efficiently supervise the working of these men are
the Superintendents and the state of things described by Veterinary-Captain
Joslen is only another strong argument for a recasting of the duties assigned to
the gazetted officers of the Civil Veterinary Department. A Veterinary
Officer is the proper person to control veterinary work, and if he finds a
subordinate in any district inefficient or worse he can report him to the
District Board for punishment. If a Superintendent does not make regular
inspections—and at present he has certainly no time to do so—the responsibility
for the bad working of the Veterinary Assistants should be declared to be on
the Civil Veterinary Department. If a Superintendent's recommendations and
reports are ignored then the District Board must be considered to be to blame.
Sixty-four Veterinary Assistants were at work throughout the Province during the
year. Veterinary-Captain Joslen examined 33 out of the 36 men in his charge-
Half of these he reports to be good men and the other half vary from fair to
very ignorant. He expects some benefit to result from the system of registration
recently organised by the Principal of the Lahore Veterinary College and from
the veterinary journal which has been started by the same officer.
The 64 Veterinary Assistants treated 38,651 cases. Of these only 5,031.
or 13 per cent. are returned as fatal but for reasons given in the report of the
South Punjab the figures in the statement showing the cases treated by the
subordinate staff cannot be taken as more than approximately correct.
Castration of colts.
13. The number of castrations performed by Veterinary Assistants and
Salutris other than Imperial has again declined. Only
967 colts were castrated this year as compared with 1,219
last year and 1,444 in 1895-96.- Castrations have fallen off in the North
Punjab by 13 per cent. and in the South by 27 per cent. I don't think that the
facts these figures bring out are altogether due to the buying up of so much
horse and mule stock for the frontier and the difference in the various districts
in the system of castration fees. Other causes are at work which a more efficient
supervision of the operators would remove.
VII.—TOURING OF SUPERINTENDENTS.
Tours.
14. The touring of the Superintendents is shown in Table P.
Veterinary-Captain Joslen visited every horse-stand in the
South Punjab with two exceptions and inspected every
Imperial horse stallion and most of the Provincial ones. He visited 10 horse
shows and inspected the Simla and Dharmsála tonga lines. He also officiated
as Superintendent North Punjab, for three weeks in addition to his own duties.
The Superintendent of the North Punjab visited 12 districts and 10 horse
shows.