Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-12-03
TIE TTRERClIIN TEST.

Hrom the st. Albans Messenger)
What is to be done about this bovine
tuberculosis problem that confrcnts the
State OF Vermont when. after years OF
the testing Of cattle under state super
vision and the payment of hundreds of
thousands CT dollars out Of the state
treasury for the reimbursement of own
ers whose cattle are condemned and kill
ed. we run UP against such experiences
as that Of this week when 50 out OF
herd Of q valuable registered Jersey
cattle in Rutland were found disea sed
and ordered killed? one would naturally
say that IL there were any practical
benefit in the work SO long conducted by
tho State. the owners OF such a herd
as this would he the first to share in It,
They would he the first to share in It
because, even If the State did not do
any specific thing to that particular
herd or In It's behalf owners OF such a
large number OF valuable cattle would
he likely to take the same precautions in
their own behalf as the State was en-
deavorins to persuade owners all around
them to take. And yet, with all these
precautions. this valuable herd that has
been furnishing milk TO the city OF Rut-
land for some time, is practically wiped
out by the disease.
II seems to Tho Messenger that. after
all these years of experimenting II Is
pretty we'll nigh time for halfway meas-
urcs on the part Of the State to cease It
ought to be pretty plain to most reason
ing men that, unless tho tuberculin test
is made compulsory upon every owner
Of cattle In the state and the importa-
ton into the State of unte5ted cattle
absolutely forbidden. we can go on year
after year testng. condemn!ng. and pay
ing for cattle ny the thousands without
accomplishing any positive result. to-
ward clearing up the disease from Yer
mont herds. because nobody knows how
many diseased cattle arc permitted to
live TO scatter fresh germs among the
survivors Of the newly tested herds all
around them
The question, then. IA whether the
state is prepared to demand that all
cattle within its borders shall bo tested
for tuberculosis within a stated period
and hold itself in readiness to pay the
owners for nil cattle condemned. or
whether It will continue to pc ale out
more money than any other State
around us. as It does now. without ar-
parortly bringing us any nearer to de-
finite results. II Is open to argument,
for that natter. rs to whether the State
is under any moral obligation to REIN
burse the owners OF cattle killed be-
cause found infected with disease dan
gerous TO the public. Certainly the
State imposes all manner OF drastic and
extensive obligations upon members OF
| fan Ties ounrant,ned for communl ca bic
diseases and makes no pretense Of reln-
bursting the head OF the household for
| his loss
At all events, It seems to The Mes
senger that we need not even consider
this latter phase Of the question at all
to easily arrive at agreement that the
present system OF voluntary testing NJ
the expense OF the State Ia not only
tremendously costly but ia not giving
much announcement that the disease
will eventually be practically eradcated
II we are gaining on bovine tuberculosis
In Vermont and have definite hopes of
req ching tho end of It soon. the average
man has little brought to his attention
| to demonstrate It,
So long as compulsory testing IL not
the States policy. therefore, and a
introduce
ton or dissemination OF the disease arc
still left unguarded. It would seem Ia
The Messenger that the present policy
largely amounts to simply throwing
money away so far as the general law is
concerned. And II suggests once more
that failing law making the testing Of
every head OF cattle mandatory. the only
successful substitute will be the higher
law OF an educated public opinion that
will positively refuse to buy an ounce O,
beef or gill of milk taken from cattle
that have not qualified under the tn.
berculosis test, When the public 4,
taught to invoke this higher law n,
self preservation, all the statutes tina,
the Legislature could pass from now to
idoomsday would DO unnecessary. And
the public would enforce Its own Iow
without the expense of n simple far.
thing to tbs SiaiA trAaAurn.