No. 3864 S. (Rev. & Agri.—Genl.), dated Simla, 31st August 1917.
From—The Hon'ble Mr. H. D. CRAIK, I.C.S., Revenue Secretary to Government, Punjab,
To—The Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Revenue and Agriculture.
I AM directed to submit, for the information of the Government of India,
a copy of the annual report on the Punjab Veterinary College, the Civil
Veterinary Department and the Government Cattle Farm at Hissar for the
year 1916-17.
2. The staff of the college remained under-strength during the year and
the Principal had to undertake, the duties of Professor of Sanitary Science in
addition to his own. Eighty five new students, of whom 32 belonged to the pro-
vince, were admitted as against 70 in the previous year, and altogether there
were 203 students who presented themselves in the various annual examinations
as compared with 189 in 1916. The Lieutenant-Governor is glad to notice
that the class of student obtaining admission is steadily improving. The
percentage of passes was not quite so good as in the previous year, but the
standard of examination has been raised and the results obtained are very credit-
able to Colonel Pease and his staff. In the post-graduate class as a result of the
heavy demand for the services of trained veterinary officers throughout India
owing to the war, there were only two students. Colonel Pease again calls
attention to the inability of the college to meet the demand for graduates, and
suggests the formation of an additional vernacular college. The Lieutenant-
Governor agrees that some further extension of teaching facilities must be
provided in the near future, and he considers that the best solution will be the
establishment of a second veterinary college in Northern India, but the matter
is not one which can well be taken up in present financial conditions. Mean-
while the Director of Agriculture is being asked to submit proposals for im-
proving the hostel accommodation and play-grounds at the existing college. In
addition to ordinary teaching work 38 transport dressers and 50 farriers were
trained in response to a demand of the military authorities.
3. In the hospital attached to the college there was again a very con-
siderable increase in the number of in-patients treated—1,603 as compared
with 1,121—but the number of out-patients again fell off from 3,426 to 2,920.
As remarked in last year's review, this is probably due to the distance of the
hospital from the city, but a site for a second municipal hospital has now been
made available, and Sir Michael O'Dwyer hopes that the hospital itself will soon
come into existence.
4. The excessive monsoon rains of 1916 while ensuring a plentiful
supply of fodder were as unhealthy for cattle as for human beings. There
were many outbreaks of contagious disease during the year, and the Civil Ve-
terinary Department with its depleted staff—which owing to the transfer of men
to the Army Department was again 25 per cent. under-strength—had a
hard task to cope with them. Altogether there were 30,804 deaths from con-
tagious diseases reported as compared with 20,903 in the previous year. Of
equine diseases surra was particularly prevalent and there was a severe out-
break of dourine in the Dera Ghazi Khan District. The Dourine Act was
extended to this district and every effort was made to check the spread of
the disease, but it has now been found necessary to extend the Act to the whole
province. Dourine is, as the Chief Superintendent remarks, a difficult disease
to deal with, and if it spreads it is capable of doing incalculable damage to
the cause of horse-breeding. Should the policy now being followed on the
advice of a strong committee of Civil Veterinary and Army Remount Officers
prove ineffective in checking it, the Lieutenant-Governor will not hesitate to
recommend the amendment of the Act so as to confer more drastic powers
on veterinary practioners and inspectors. Glanders was fortunately almost
entirely quiescent during the year, doubtless as the result of the vigorous
measures taken to cope with the outbreaks of the two previous years.