Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-19
TO PROD STOCK INSPECTORS
Government Agent Comes to Urge Action
by Governor Mickey.
SAYS NEBRASKA LAWS ARE NOT oBEYfD
VIII Ask states Chief Executive TO
Require Live stock inspectors
TO strictly Enforce All
the Rules.

las a general rule the live stock inspec-
ton rules Of western states are not en-
forced and Nebraska, l regret to say, is no
exception to the rule. For this reason l
am now on my way to Lincoln to see IL
Governor Mickey cannot be prevailed upon
to demand Of the inspectors a more rigor-
Gus enforcement. II the governor will but
say, DO your duty in this matter or lose
your position the state will benefit imme-
diately, and my department will cease to
have any cause for complaint"
Such was the declaration made to a Bee
reporter at the Merchants hotel yesterday
by George s. Hickox, a former Omahan,
but for three years past an attache of the
federal bureau of animal industry in the
capacity of agent in charge of field inspec-
ton for the district west Of the Mississippi
river, north Of the Kansas line, and CENTER
ing at Salt Lake City, where he has his
headquarters. Continuing, MIR. Hickox
said:
"our department can do nothing until
shipments go outside the state in which the
shipping point is located. This makes Il
hard for us to do anything with Ne
~braskans, because they consign merely to
South Omaha. l am speaking now of sheep,
for it is to eradicate scab among them that
the bureau is particularly addressing its
efforts.
Says shippers Would Gain.
at would cost sheep raisers only a few
cents per head, barring cost of feed and the
temporary slump in weight, to dip their
sheep, yet many of them decline to do it
and ship without dipping. always hoping to
get the shipment through the yards here
without detection. They lose by this,
a- L. y, 80 -.4z-a4u - Il - A..
detected as the sheep are run from the cars
and the lot Is shot off into the quarantine
yards. The shipper is then practically at
the mercy of the buyer and not infrequently
loses S5 cents or more per hundred on the
whole bunch. The packers say they wish to
see inspection laws enforced. but that is
doubtful in view of the fact that they can
buy scabby sheep at this discount and get
full prices for the killed article, provided,
Of course, the disease is not too far ad-
vanced.
"Montana's laws are scarcely more strin-
gent than Nebraska's, yet we have no com
plant to make against Montana, for the
veterinary Of that state is given a very
large salary and all expenses, and he does
his full duty, with the result that the state
is practically clean.
Idaho in Good Standing.
Idaho has taken up the matter in good
earnest AMI will be equal to Montana soon,
Three years ago the per cent of scabby
sheep was 10; two years ago it was 2, and
last year it was less than 1 per cent.
wyoming gives us most trouble, because
1t is hard to enforce a law where public
sentiment is not back Of it, and public
sentiment is not back of this law very
strongly in Wyoming. There may be g
good case against a man. but his fellow
citizens or ranchers when they sit on q
jury cannot be persuaded to see 1t thai
way, hence no conviction. II he could bC
convicted he would be subject to a heavy
fine and responsible for all costs of the sui
and all costs of cleaning up in his owl
premises and all premises which may have
been infected from his herds.
81 make no specific charges against an!
Nebraskans, but the law here is not being
properly enforced, and l shall make
strong effort Tuesday to interest Governol
Mickey in the matter. l mean to have
talk with the state veterinary and others
also, while / am in the state. We hop
some day to have scab entirely wiped out.