Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-07
HOG CHOLERA IS
GETTING NOTICE
CONGRESSIONAL COMMiTTEECON-
s!DERiNG DIFFERENT PLANS
OF ERADICATION.
[BY ELISHA HANSON.1


Washington, D. c., Feb. 6.-The
house committee on agriculture in
tends to offer some kind of relief to
farmers who have suffered tremendous
financial losses from the ravages of
hog cholera.
The committee now is undecided be-
tween two plans. One of them was
submitted by Congressman O'Hair of
Illinois, The other was suggested by
Congressman Lever of South Carolina,
chairman Of the committee. e..
Mr.. OHair wants the committee to
make an appropriation of a half mil
| lion dollars for the purpose of gather
ing and disseminating information on
the causes, cures and representatives. Of
hog cholera. He believes great good
can be accomplished by dispensing in
formation to the growers of hogs and
all associations interested in hog rails
ing, as well as all buyers, dealers, ship
pers and packers of hogs.
The Illinois congressman has raised
hogs for over twenty years and he de-
clares that cleanliness around the hog
pens Is the first essential to healthy
, hogs. He belives cholera is purely an
infectious disease and not contagious
one. Further, he believes by quaran-
timing sick hogs and segregating we'll
ones, the disease can be checked,
though the germs can be carried SO
! easily, by birds, dogs, and men, that
I it is difficult to do this. .g
Mr.. O'Hair has great faith in good
serums as preventatives but little in
any as cures and he favors strict gov
ornamental regulation of all serums on
the market.
Congressman Lever believes hog
cholera should be fought along lines
similar to those adopted for the adj
| vancement of agricultural education.
He believes the federal and state gov
ernments should combine, hire county
! experts, or district veterinarians, who
would dispense the serum and treat
the hogs, and prescribe regulations for
! the raising Of hogs, that epidemics
might not berak out. Hog cholera has
been eliminated in certain localities
strictly through policy Of cleanliness
and segregation.
1t is possible that the plan adopted
| by the committee will include much Of
the suggestions offered by both con-
gressmen and that an active fight will
| be made from now on to wipe out the
| disease.
Good Started Move.
Incidentally, glance at the congress
sional record last year will show that
! Congressman Good of Iowa started the
| fight in congress for sufficient ap.
preparation to wipe out cholera. When
| tba apDropr;o tioy for tho aro n "a tiOD
of the southern cattle tick was before
the house, Mr.. Good offered an amend,
ment appropriating like amount,
$375.000. for tie eradication Of hog
cholera He was voted down, but he
informed the house it would come to
| his plan eventually. The absolutely
startling losses from cholera within
the past year apparently have brought
p, it around. In an official statement the
department Of agriculture fig week
admitted that the decrease in the
American meat supply, among various
! causes. can be traced to the great
losses of hogs from cholera. Senator
Kenyon this week continued his fight
| by Introducing bill in the senate,
! giving the government supervision OF
all serums shipped in interstate COM
MERGE with the right to confiscate
! fake serums.
The department Of agriculture con,
, tinued it's campaign with an official
statement in which it said nine cases
out of every ten Of sickness in the
hog pens are hog cholera. 1t warned
the farmers against fancy names used
by the patent medicine manufacturers
| O.