The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-12-25
A FORMAL QUARANTINE.
MASsACHUsETTs CATTLE MUST BE
KEPT OUT OF MAINE.

The Ray State is Honeycombed with
Cattle Affected with Disease Which
1mperiis the Life of Human Beings
PORTLAND, Me-, Dec. %. The action
OF the Maine board of cattle commission
ers yesterday in forbidding the importa
ton OF cattle into this state from Massa
chusetts will be officially ratified or
Thursday by the promulgation of formal
quarantine against Massachusetts,
The reason for this action was last night
explained by DR.. Bailey of the board, the
state veterinarian. DR.. Bailey said that OF
late number of carloads of cheap cattle
had been imported into the state from
Massachusetts, one carload of twenty
three being recently brought from Brigh-
ton to Lisbon by Fred M. & William Crow.
ley.
II was called to see the herd and or,
dered two of the COWS killed. They were
badly affected with tuberculosis. Twelve
OF the herd had been killed for food. The
beef was known as chopped beef''-that
is, not cut up by quarters, but chopped up
into junks, to render it impossible to de-
tect any trace of the disease. All day Sun
day Mr.. Daggett and myself spent in
hunting up the rest of the herd still alive,
and we killed several more, and in each
case
Found the Cows BADLY Diseased.
The rest of the animals are suspected and
will be carefully kept track of. Out of
another lot of seven cows we killed four,
and of another lot we killed the whole.
''As Maine, some ten years ago, o,awoke to
the realization of the danger to humanity
from this dread disease, and it's spread and
propagation among the human race by
means of tainted milk and beef, 50 she has
actively tried ever since to stamp it out,
and has practically accomplished it in this
state
"We should have had a quarantine
against Massachusetts long ago, had we
suspected that so heavy importations were
being made, for the condition of affairs in
that state is simply shocking, as the cases
cited above show. The state is fairly
Honeycombed with Diseased Cattle.
In proof of my assertion, wish to call
your attention to the following extract:
The seattle commissioners of Massachusetts,
in til annual report for 1887, say:
In the'annual report for 1883 particular at
culosfs The facts of a year ago are in
the main, the facts of today. The disease con-
tinues with no apparent abatement or In
crease The disease could doubtless
be eradicated by placing it in the same cate
CORY with pluero- pneumonia, and applying to
it the same provision of law, but it would,
doubtless, necessitate the destruction of
twenty animals to save one, and require the
payment of many hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
In 1888 DIR. J. f. Winchester of Law
renee, Mass, made report to the cattle
commissioners upon this disease. He col
lected information from experts all over
the state His investigations covered
thirty-four suspected farms, whereon were
SSe cattle, Of these, 243, or % per cent.
were killed, and 1S9, or oyer % per cent. of
the remainder, were suspected. On fifteen
other farms, with pa animals, he found %,
or II per cent, NTH symptoms of tuber-
culosis, and "A others which were regarded
as suspicious.
OF the 213 suspicious in the latter class,
some were doubtless affected and were
sold into other herds, where the disease
may not have before existed, to act as
New Foci of Infection.
Later reports show substantially the same
condition of alialis.
g Inc power OF tnc commissioners III IOl'
bidding importation into Maine is abse-
lutte. Provision is also made for the ap-
praisal and payment by the state to the
owners for cattle killed for the purpose of
preventing the spread of disease.
Section provides that no person shall
receive for transportation, or transport
from one part of the state to another, or
bring from any other state or foreign coun-
try, any other animals affected with any
such diseases, especially tuberculosis,
knowing such animals to be affected, or
to have been exposed, appropriate penal
ties being provided for violation of the act
Thus the business in Massachusetts, cat
tie is stringently forbidden and made a
crime The importation of single COW,
no matter what the breed, from Massachu-
sets, is absolutely forbidden.