Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-14
Done by Cattle Commits
sioners During Year.
5O,12O Cattle Have Been Tested
al Average Cost Of $3.50.
Commits ioners Favor Some Kind OF
4 Meat Inspecting Law.

| present administration is understood to
| be in favor Of abolishing the cattle
commission and establishing i'll its
| place a single commissioner under the
| Jurisdiction of the department Of agri-
| culture.
During the past two years there
| lave been tested 50,120 cattle. costing
| the State for every expense pertaining
| To the business $li5. 3092- or s. 90 each
| on the average Of each animal tested.
| After dedueting S26S1 &c paid tT the
| State treasurer for the sale of hides.
! the cattle tested cost the State $2.A
each upon the average. The owner
received of this amount $2.09 the Com
| miSSiOncrS % the veterinarians re-
ceiVcd AS ana it cost ) cents to disin
| feet and furnish the supplies neces
sary for carrying on the work. BY
this statement it would appear that
| the veterinarians received only As
cents for testing when as a matter
| Of fact the owners of cattle tested
about 5000 the commissioners $50 and
there We're tested at Brighton 1l,20o
| leaving only. 29.94o which were tested
| ny the veterinarians or at the average
| rate of SOL, cents each.
| iIt itSAiloi Abi LIN
| two years WAS 800, eco and there has
| been deficiency created amounting
| to $45, 2961 : or total business for the
| two years amounting to $l45. 209a1.
During the year there have been
destroyed ESQ grade cattle, 146 pure
| blooded. l65 horses and 5 sheep or n
total Of @l02 animals.
The grade cattle cost the State $93,-
la- 500 ~, IA
animals cost the State $3.50 or S40S3
| each. The 165 horses cost the State
| $400S or SAP each and the sheep cost
! 81 each.
| To the commissioners We're paid the
| following sums:
F. o. Beals, services s2249; ex-
penses $132S2o
F. S. Adams. services s2712.50; eX-
penses :1S21.s1.
!. NJ. Daering. services $2795; eX-
penscs &1257.09.
TO veterinarians was paid $i9.0SS.2s
| and expenses amounting To $5003.04.
Labor for disnfeeting was paid
| s2121 40; for tuberculin and all other
supplies sits and for postage and
| printing s11l9.20.
| At Brighton We're destroyed by the
| Massachusetts authorities l43 hcad of
cattle costing s4S63.16 or S39.59 each.
| There was q salvage Of $l4 on each
of these animals and the commissioners
believe that some provision should be
made so that similar salvage might
be saved in Maine.
| The commissioners recommend that
| the disinfecting be done by the own
ers and not by the State and thus a
| cost of S2l21.40 be saved. The app
praised value of cattle might be con-
sidered high but in New York the
state pays 1925 for pure blooded ami
mails anu S75 for grade cattle.
Under the law prior to 1909 the own
ers Of cattle paid for the testing but
now if a diseased COW is found the
State must pay the bill. This has in
creased the expense to a large amount.
The law made no provision for the
salvage of the hide or any part Of the
animal and yet the commissioners
have saved and turned into the State
treasury by this means about $1,000
as the temized report shows.
The commissioners favor some kind
of meat inspection law and say that
if such a law existed the saving to tho
4
Such an Inspection system is virtually
pursued in York and Cumberland coun-
tics and results in more healthy
meat supply. There have been more
| cattle destroyed than ever before but
| this is owing 10 the new law and to
the fact that the dairymen have de-
mandcd the testing of cattle and
whenever that demand has been made
bc cir
the commissioners have made the re-
quircd inspections. Sections which
have never before been inspected have
been entered this year and the result
has been an increase in the apparent
number of diseased animals. In the
Vicinity of Portland. however where
the work of Graduating tuberculosis
began six years ago the percentage
Twas at first six per cent. and has now
fallen to below two per cent and the
milk supply Of that city is today Vir-
tually coming from healthy animals
as n consequence. Within the last
year all the COWS supplying Sanford
with milk have been tested but up
to this wear not Il herd has been tcst-
ell in that locality. In that locality
the percentage of diseased cows was
at first high but il has since de-
creased.
| The commissioners point out that
the Law is mandatory with rela ton
to the State paying for diseased cat
Il" which are destroyed ana there can
be no way of preventing a deficiency
Iunder the present law. Yet they say
the work is necessary. that ii should
he continued and the inspection of
j animals and the testing Of them for
tuberculosis should be continued and
should not be allowed to stop.
Six years ago the commissioners
asked 20 have the law amended so
that they might be able to pay more
for pur" hlooded animals in order to
insure the killing of diseased bulls at
the head of the herds. They were
then discouraged knowing that the
disease was on the increase in Maine
and that under the existing condi-
tons they We're powerless to prevent
! its Increase. In the first year 20 per
cent. OF the pure blooded animals
tested were found diseased During