9
GENERAL
REMARKS
59. The supply of Rinderpest serum during the year has not been sufficient to
meet the demands of this province. The supply was cut off entirely for three months
and at other times indents were cut down. The utility of the Department was con-
sequently greatly handicapped. Serum is supplied from the Imperial Laboratory
at Muktesar. Year by year as the advantages of inoculation become known the
demand becomes greater. In several places where two years ago there was opposi-
tion to inoculation, this year urgent requests were made to send inoculators as
soon as disease appeared. As the staff of the Department increases in number, more
serum will be required each year. It is most important that in future the supply of
serum should equal the demand. Fortunately Rinderpest was not so prevalent during
the year under review as formerly. If it had been, no more serum would have been
available. The laboratory supplied, 60,000 doses of Rinderpest serum during the
year. In the previous year 77,000 doses were supplied.
60. During the year no buildings have been erected for the Department, due
generally to want of funds. The lack of suitable accommodation has been felt at
headquarters where an office, laboratory and dispensary buildings are wanted, at
Shillong where a Hospital is required and at Jorhat where a dispensary and Inspector's
office are wanted. It is hoped that some of these will be completed within the next
year.
61. The fixed travelling allowance Rs. 15 per month has proved insufficient
as an Assistant cannot remain on tours 15 days in the month; if he is required to stay
out longer he does so at a loss. This also forms an excuse for neglecting work. A
revised scheme has therefore been drafted and is at present under the consideration
of Government.
62. As several enquiries have lately been made regarding suitable nalbunds
I repeat what was said last year. Sufficiently qualified nalbunds are very difficult
to get, but a young nalbund could be sent for instruction, by any Polo Club or District
Board, to the Bengal Veterinary College where there is a good forge and two well-
trained men. He would learn how to make a good shoe, to prepare the foot, how to
fit the shoe when hot, etc. The College fees for a course of training is Rs. 20. The
district sending him would have to pay his wages. The length of the course depends
on the capabilities of the man, and would last for 3 to 6 months.
63. The method of reporting the mortality from the various diseases leaves much
to be desired. If this information was reported every quarter by the thana officers
to the Magistrate there would be less time lost in supplying these tables at the end
of the year and opportunity would be given in time to verify these reports by sending
out the Veterinary Assistant. During the year under report outbreaks of contagious
disease were reported in the annual figures from places which never reported it during
the year.
64. The question of improving the local breed of cattle has been discussed. In
many districts breeding is impossible because the whole place is a swamp for a great
part of the year. In many more there is no good land reserved for grazing and the
ryot does not store up provender for his cattle in times of scarcity. At present the
young stock are bred from weak, emaciated or immature cows. The calves do not
get sufficient milk; later they get as food, coarse, indigestible straw or grass which
is often limited in quantity; another fault is that they are put to work too early.
The placing of good bulls in districts will not of itself permanently improve the
breed till the ryot has learned to supply suitable food, to take more care of his young
stock, to value the castration of all the weedy bulls and also to select the cows for
breeding purposes as well as the bull.
65. There is still evidence that a considerable number of cattle are deliberately
poisoned for the sake of their hides. If the hides of poisoned cattle were slashed and
rendered useless, this practice of poisoning cattle might be abandoned.
66. The condition of cattle, sheep and goats going to slaughter houses is worthy
of attention, as emaciated, diseased animals are seen which under no circumstances
should possibly be fit for food. Flesh and organs are sometimes exposed for sale
which are diseased or unwholesome, and from their condition could convey disease
to man. In places where larger municipalities employ Veterinary Assistants the
inspection of animals before and after slaughter might be made a part of their
duties.