Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-02

them at Readfield. He said George M
Smith came TO him at the fair and
told him exhibitors had signed pc
tition asking that he (Bearce) order
| the removal OF the Underwood herd
| from the grounds and not allow them
exhibited at Lewiston and he showed
him the petition. Mr.. Bearce didn't
have the petition and could not re-
member all exhibitors who had signed
| it but he said he had to act and act
quickly to protect the other exhibitors
He said he would take Dr. Russells
| statement but the commissioner of ag-
riculture would not accept work from
DR.. Russell and would not give him a
commission. He told how he and DR.
Baird had visited the cattle and had
come to the conclusion that there was
Ia prevalence of this disease in the cat
tie and the only thing he could do was
to order them home. Asked by Rep
Packard of Bangor of the committee if
he thought Mr.. Underwood had been
given a fair shake and used decent1y
he said he did, that he could not do
anything other than what he did.
! He said he didn't want to do what
he did but was obliged to. Mr. Pea
cock questioned him pretty sharply
and at times the hearing became a
regular court at law" He said Mr.
Underwood got hot under the collar
and called him names and while he
didn't want any trouble. he was OBJ
| liged to take the action he did.
! George NJ. Smith of Monmouth tes-
titled briefly that he was one of the
signers of the petition, asking for the
removal of the cattle but admitted he
had no stock exhibited there that year
G915)
Fl. NJ. Tucker of Canton told of the
prevalence of the disease, said he had
seen much of it and was an exhibitor
and signed the petition at the fair
grounds because he had q clean herd
and did not wish to infect his cattle.
-. Dr. E. r. Baird of Waterville told of
the prevalence Of the disease and said
it was not necessary to make mic
roscopic analysis to determine it.
He said he didn't have the equip
ment handy to make the tests and was
not meteorological man but he could
tell the disease whenever he "smelled"
it and no one would ever forget it once
he saw it.
| liz SIdlb vi Is lUSIUS Ouc-
half a million dollars a year through
this disease, which as yet is but little
known" said he, land officials should
find means to suppress it," He said the
best brains of the country were try
ing to work out some method now of
stopping it and there was no good to
say that herd didn't have it because
a large percentage of kennebec farm
ers have it among their cattle and
don't know it.
| Dr. Russell asked why it was if the
disease was so prevalent that the san
itary commissioner should have Sc
lected only this one case and sent him
off the fair grounds and embargoed
his herd.
J. H. Buker of Monmouth was the
last witness and he corroborated other
testimony. There was a heated rebuff
tai and the whole thing simmered
down to this: Was the State commits
sioner justified in doing this act; did
the cows in question have contagious
abortion and should the State reirn-
burse Mr.. Underwood?
w. r. Pattangall of Augusta appear
ed in behalf OF John H. Rice of Ban
State when an auto driven by the
chauffeur of the State Highway de-
partment collided with the Rice auto
on State street at the juncture of For
est avenue. .tIoz.
Mr.. Pattangall briefly detailed the
accident and presented the court tes-
timony He said they were in court
when Judge Cornish ruled Paul D..
Sargent was not liable but that the
State was liable.
He said the Rice car came out of
Forest avenue and collided with the
State highway car on State street and
Mr.. Sargent said the Rice can ran into
his car.
| Mr. Sargent briefly gave an idea of
the accident which happened in May,
1914 and was in court until Justice
Cornish's ruling. There was little said
on either side following the admission
| of the printed testimony.