The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-13
PROTECTING THE CATTLE.
Work of the State Commissioners
for the Past Year.
Fiocks ard Herds Nearly Exempt
from Serious Disease.
Cases of tuberculosis and Chambers
Promptly Treated.

Governor and Council to-day. The report
contains a detailed account of the cases
which have been acted upon by the Commits
sion during the year The majority of these
cases were of disease among cattle principal
ly tuberculosis. Among horses there have
been a number of cases of glanders, which
have called for attention by the Commission.
September Sd case of glanders was re-
ported by f. NJ. Cunningham of Oldtown,
and large bay stallion was found to be bad
| ly affected with the disease, and was at once
condemned and destroyed, having been APP
| praised at $50.
| This case is of much Importance to owners
of horses, and especially to lumbermen in
| this State, who should have their horses care
| fully Inspected before taking them into log
camps, where they are confined to close
quarters and obliged to feed together, and
where one diseased animal could easily con-
taminate all the others.
September 18th, Mr.. Cunningham again re-
ported to the Commissioners that two other
horses owned by him, and which had work
ed in the same camp with the one condemned
at Oldtown, were being kept by him at
Sebec, uear Milo Junction, and he had every
reason to believe were effected. Upon in
vestigation, both horses were found affected
with glanders, and were appraised at $125.
November 21st case of glanders was dis
covered at Bangor at the stable Uf John
Donovan, which proved to be another of the
gang employed in the lumber camp of Mr..
Cunningham of Oldtown. The horse was
condemned and appraised ats$50.
November Sd, case of glanders was found
at Prentiss, in an old horse belonging to
Robert L. Worrenter. The horse was con-
demned, and appraised at $50.
November Sd, a case of glanders was re-
ported by the selectmen of Palmyra, upon
the premises of Walter A Wright, whssk.
was one of the worst cases of '.glanders and
farcy'' we have ever met in Maine. This
horse was bought out of the worthless and
dangerous band of broncho brutes that
were distributed in our State the past sea-
son, and it is the intention of the Commits
sioners TO prevent any further sale of such
diseased and unbroken vagabonds in Maine.
Two other cases have already come to our
knowledge that were bought out of the same
band but both Of them died before being re-
ported to u.s. Mr.. Wright's horse was con-
demned and appraised at $2525.
The last case reported to the fCommiSSon-
ers, according to their report, for the year
just closed. was case OF ganderS In the
SIdDle Oh O6OIS6 mOulJDu Ol Llu6Ilck, anu
a very dangerous case of glanders and farcy
was found to exist.
An investigation disclosed the fact that the
horse had been sent from Massachusetts into
this State over the Portland & Rochester
Railroad, three weeks before, by his owner,
Mr. G. M. Tibbetts of Boston, and it was
proven by the stablemen who took the horse
from the cars at WATERFORD Centre and led
him to Limerick that he was in thoroughly
diseased condition on his arrival at Water
boro.
In consideration of these facts, the Com
missioners ordered the horse quarantined,
but refused to have the animal destroyed
and appraised at the expense of the State,
torney General Baker for his opinion as to
the liability of the State, should similar
cases arise. For if any party could bring glan-
dered horses from Massachusetts, where the
State pays nothing for them when con-
demned, into this State, where the owner
can recover three-quarters of their value mot
exceeding one hundred dollars, our limited
appropriations would soon become exhaust
ed in paying for this class of cases. The
opinion of the Attorney General fully sus-
tains the action of the Commissioners, and
refers all persons bringing diseased animals
into Maine to their own liability under Sec
ton 7, Chapter 13S, of the public laws of
Maine of 1887.
Owing to the prevalence of glanders in
nelghboring States. and to the highly dan
gerous liability of its communication to ami
mails and mankind, rendering it constant
menace to human life, the provision of the
law in these cases will hereafter be rigidly
enforced.
In conclusion, the Commissioners say: "a
summary Of the whole number of cases re-
ported to the Commissioners is 65, embracing
cities and towns distributed from the west
ern boundary of our State, to Aroostook
county. OF these, 4S herds of cattle were in
spected, and 16 stables and lumber camps
Thirteen head of cattle were condemned
and destroyed, at an expense OF $309.75; and
II horses also condemned and destroyed, at
an expense of $626.50; making a total of
1896 25.
When we come to consider the valuation of
live stock in this State is rising SIG, SOC, 900.
and that but 10 head. valued at but S309.75
have been found affected with contagious dis
ease and that among our rapidly increasing
stock of horses, but four cases of glanders,
valued at $189.25 have been discovered out
side of one lumber camp, where seven horses
prove to have all been inoculated from a sin
gle case, taken together with the fact that
but single notice remained in the hands of
any of the Commissioners on the 1st of jan
uary, is proof positive that Maine is Justly
entitled to clean bill of health for her
flocks and herds, such as can be claimed by
no other State in the Union"
"By reference to Sec. 2, chap. 1873 of the
new law, it will be found that in cases of an
imals condemned and destroyed by order of
the commissioner, the owner or owners
tueTeOl call TtCONeT IlTte-lOuTtHS Oh LUtlT
value, as determined upon the basis of health
before infection, and the full appraised value
in case Of animals exposed to either of such
diseases. but not themselves actually dis
eased,-out of any money appropriated by
the legislature for that purpose; provided,
however, that they shall not pay more than
5000 for an animal with pedigrees recorded
or recordable in the recognized herd-books
of the breed in which the animals destroyed
may belong, nor more than 800 for an ami
NAL which has no pedigree.
1T will thus readily be seen that upon the
appearance of any contagious diseases in
such valuable herds of pedigreed animals as
those of our late Governor. or Hall c. Bur-
leigh, and many others, the entire appropri-
alton of the year would be wiped out in the
payment of single herd leaving the COM
mission powerless to provide for emergen-
cies, only too liable to arise. We believe the
new cattle bill should receive the prompt at
tention of the next legislature of Maine and
that iu several important particulars it be
reconstructed or modified so as to meet all
reasonable demands in this State in protect
ing our domestic animals from contagious
diseases and in maintaining that high stand
ord of haa1fh which thew now pninv -