6
30 horses and 437 bovines against anthrax. The total is 7,155 animals inoculated. He
inspected the tonga ponies on the Shillion-Gauhati road four times during outbreaks
of surra or glanders. He visited 287 villages and treated 162 animals for contagious
and 1,216 for non-contagious diseases. In addition he inspected the work of the
assistants in the Assam Valley and attended the live-stock show at Jorhat.
36. Veterinary Inspector G. P. Sen was promoted to the Inspectorship on the
22nd February 1908. Most of his time has been employed at headquarters in the
inspection of the Municipal cattle, inspection work under the Glanders and Farcy
Act, inspection of dispensaries and in supervising the receipt and despatch of all
sera to various parts of the province. He has travelled 682 miles by rail, 90 miles by
road, and 528 miles by steamer and country boat. He inoculated 18 cattle against
rinderpest and treated 205 for non-contagious diseases.
37. The majority of the Veterinary Assistants have shown considerable interest in
their professional work, and their energy and zeal are slowly gaining the confidence
of all classes.
38. The office work has been carried out in a temporary hut throughout the entire
year. The routine has been entirely new, but the staff have shown considerable interest
in the work, in overcoming many of the difficulties and in grasping the details.
TABLES X—XIV. BLANK.
PART V—EXPENDITURE OF THE DEPARTMENT.
39. See Table XIV A. The cost of the Department as stated by the Accountant
General, amounted to Rs. 64,511. In the previous year the expenditure amounted to
Rs. 25,269.
GENERAL REMARKS.
40. The work of the Veterinary Department, in this province has advanced consi-
derably during the year under report. The work accomplished has increased in greater
proportion than the increase in staff. Much still remains to be done. Many severe
outbreaks of disease with high mortalities have been unattended. During the greater
part of this year, there was only one Inspector and his time was mostly occupied in doing
assistant's work. The services of staff assistants are most useful : they are stationed at
headquarters, and from there are sent to any part of the province where their services
are most required, either to districts where there is no assistant, or to districts where the
local assistant cannot for the time being cope with the work. At headquarters,
work both clerical and professional is still handicapped, because there is no accommo-
dation. Twenty-six bighas of land have just been acquired, and it is proposed to erect
an office, hospital, laboratory, etc., also to have a special ward for contagious diseases.
As shown in the report several new hospitals and dispensaries have been opened,
all of which are doing useful work. In many places the best work is done by the
itinerating assistant, who visits the districts regularly. He gets into closer touch with
the raiyat, and his skill becomes known by treating the minor ailments of cattle. The
raiyat therefore gains more confidence in him, and when cattle plague breaks out there
is not the same amount of opposition to inoculation.
41. During the year a nalbund was sent by a District Board to Belgachia for
training in the principles of shoeing. This is a step in the right direction, as the
nalbunds in most parts of the province do wretched work and cause considerable
damage to horses' feet. In fact many good horses are permanently ruined through
ignorance. Arrangements may be made with the Principal of the Bengal Veterinary
college, through this Department, to take a limited number of young intelligent nal-
bunds, for training, on certain conditions and at specified times in the year.
42. The method of collecting statistics of animal mortality still leaves much
to be desired. I would suggest that if thana officers sent in reports of the death-rate
from the various contagious diseases every quarter to the District Officer, and if
these returns were checked by the local Veterinary Assistant, the figures for the
year would be much more accurate.
43. The prompt reporting of outbreaks of diseases is most essential. In a
number of cases such reports reached the Veterinary Assistant after considerable delay.
The result is that the Assistant arrives after a large number of animals have died, and
the remainder have been or are sick. The raiyat then often objects to the inoculation
of the healthy, and all that he permits is the medicinal treatment of the diseased.
W. HARRIS,
Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department,
Eastern Bengal and Assam.