The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-05-11
FIGHT ON TICKS
BROUGHT BEFORE
THE POLICE JURY
Secretary of Eradication
League Delivers Inter-
esting Address
PARISH TIED UP FOR
WANT OF THE FUNDS
No Chance for Dipping Dur
ing Current Year; Quar-
antine to Stand


Mr.. R. L. Hines, secretary of the
Louisiana Tick Eradication leagus,
was in opelousas last week and seiz.
ed the occasion to appear before the
St. Landry police jury, which was
then in session, and delivered an ad-
dress before that body on the tick
eradication campaign in this parish
1t viii be recalled that the work Of
dipping cattle was suspended in st.
Landry this year on account Of the
lack of funds and the federal quaran-
tine against the shipping or moving
Of cattle out OF this parish is still
maintained, and undoubtedly will be
continued as long as the work Of dip
ping is suspended
Mr.. Hines stressed the necessity
of the police jury taking steps AZ
quickly as possible to resume dipping
of cattle. de was not here as Off
cial of the state or federal govern
ments but simply as the representa-
tive of the league, the members
which are urging the eradication ol
the tick pest in Louisiana He pre-
sented some facts and figures to lhs
police jury showing the lmportanee
of resumfng the work in order that
the cattle industry Of the state would
be placed on the same plane as it Is
in those states that have prosecuted
the dipping until every tick was a.
stroyed, thus releasing the state froI
the quarantine and making all cattle
marketable in other centers
AS the situation now stands S.
Landry is still under the quarantine
imposed by the federal authorities
and it is practically impossible la
ship surplus cattle out Of the parish
to other markets. The progressive
cattle growers are complaining bit
! terly Of this status, and one gentle
man, speaking to a newspaper man
last Sunday, stated that he had com
piled with every requirement Of the
law and had dipped his stock year u
and year out and was still dipping
and that due to his efforts along tlls
line his pastures were now practically
if not altogether free OF the pest. Yet
he said, he was inhibited from ship
/ ping his surplus cattle and II he sold
at all it must be to local buyers vine
naturally took advantage of the sis
uation and bought stock for very 10y
prices. He thought that in So far g
his cattle were concerned ne should
be given a certificate to the effees
that his stock we're tick-free, thus 81
/ lowing him the advantage Of selling
on markets where the price was
much higher than locally. It was =
hardship, he thought, to make him
suffer for the sins of omission and
! commission of others.
! Secretary Hines stated TO news
paper reporter that the universal
opinion that 1t would be impossible to
eradicate the cattle tick from the Biz
swamp ranges was absolutely IN
founded; that while the work would
be somewhat more tedious still It
could be accomplished by constant
and systematic effort. The trouble
lay, according to his idea, in the fact
that the dipping was carried on in a
slipshod manner and that some own
ers either did not dip at all or did II
spasmodically, thus making the con
scientious owners suffer for thei
negligence.
st. Landry parish has spent ths
last few years many thousands Of dol
lars in attempting to get rid Of fhs
tick. This money was expended il
the construction OF watts, buying com
pounds, employing inspectors, and thc
dozen and one items of expense thai
is attached to such comprehensive
campaign. While II has undoubtedll
accomplished much good, still as
factor in raising the federal quaran
tine it has amounted to nothing, TO
that quarantine still endures and be
yond peradyenture win continue t
endure until the parish sees fit, or j
financially able, to resume the wori
that was abandoned last fall for th
year 1921