Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-13
STATE HOUSE MATTERS.
STATE CATTLE COMMISSIONERS
Abstract OF the Annual Report

The State cattle commissioners had ar
ranged for meeting of the full board in
this city, yesterday for the purpose of pre-
senting their report to Gov. Marble and rem
dcring their final account for the year. But
Mr.. +. q. Bcal of Bangor, president of the
board was prevented from being present on
account of illness in his family, and DIR. Geo.
ii. Bailey veterinary officer of the board,
was called TO Damariscotta on professional
business, consequently Mr.. W. W. Harris
of Cumberland secretary of the board was
the only member present, and the only mem
ber whose name is appended to the report.
The report of the commissioners is a
lengthy document and gives in the closes, de
tail record of all the acts and doings of the
board for the year. This report is proceeded
by an account of the organization of the
board, May 3, 1887, with the rules and reg
ulations adopted for its government. The
date of the first case to which the commits
sioners gave attention, is not stated, but the
second is recorded AS MAY 4th. From that
tllit W tht VI iilt last
Dee. 9th, the commissioners report in full
the nature of the 10 cases to which they
were summoned. In officially answering
these calls, the commissioners went from
York to Aroostook counties, visiting in the
discharge of their duty iS herds of cattle,
and sixteen stables and lumber camps. Eight
iufcctcd centres of tuberculosis have been
developed. aud thirteen head of cattle con
iemncd and ordered killed at an expense of
! S309. 10. The commissioners were called in
nine cases of CHAMBERS in horses, eleven
| horses having been condemned and destroy ed
at an expense of $3.50. 30, The commission
ers say that owing to the prevalence of gland
ers i'll ncighhorlng States, and to the highly
dangerous liability of its communication To
animals and mankind, rendering it a constant
menace to human life, the provisions of the
law regarding it, will in the future, be strict
/ ly enforced. In many cases to which the
! commissioners were called they found no
/ real or contagious disease present, and in
some cases none at all. They believe that
no case of contagious pleuro-pneumonia
now exists in the State.
I The total amount appropriated by the last
/ legislature to carry out the design of the
commission was 50 900, of which but 81 =
! 800 would be available for the work of 1887
] Dul NUcn tnc present DOafu came INTO power
/ they found 81 100 of this sum charged up
against the old commission, which existed
/ by virtue of previous law, so that in rcali-
ty the board has had but s. 400 with which
to do the work of the year. This has put
the members to some Inconvenience, and in
some cases has been a detriment to their
complete work, about which they make a
mild complaint. This should certainly be
rcmcdlcd III the future.
In closing their report the commissioners
say "Wheu We come to consider that the
valuation OF live stock in this State is rising
. SI6,j00, 900, and that but thirteen head val
ued at but $500 - have been found affected
with contagious disease, and that among our
rapidly increasing stock of horses but four
cases of glanders, valued at Sls9.25, have
been discovered, outside of one lumber camp,
where seven horses prove to have all been
inoculated from a single case, taken togeth-
er with the fact that but single notice re-
maincd in the hands of any of the commits
soners on Jan. /, lSsS, is proof positive that
Maine is Justly entitled to clean bill of
health for the flocks and herds such as can
be claimed by no other State in the Union.
The commissioners recommend that the
new cattle bill be amended in several impor.
tant particulars in order that it may better
meet all reasonable demands of the people
and better protect our domestic animals
against contagious diseases, and maintain
that high standard of health which they now
enjoy.
At his hearing before the Council yester
day, Mr.. Harris rendered the entire bills OF
the commission for the year, which were cx
amined and approved He returned to Port
land on the afternoon train DR. Bailey wa'
expected here in the evening, from Damar
iscotta, but did not arrive.