The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1921-12-16
FEDERAL FUNDS
FOR DISEASED
CATTLE USED UP
Prominent VermOnters
Have Been Calling On
Vermont Delegation

(Our w aSnlngtOn OOrlNSpONu III
Government indemnities for
slaughtered tubercular cattle in
Vermont will have TO be extern
sively curtailed during the balance
of the fiscal year unless Cong ress
in the final enactment materially
increases the appropriation made
for that purpose by the Senate last
Monday. As it is today, with
hardly half the current year
elapsed, Vermont's share of the
Federal funds available in this
fight is periously near the vanish
ing point.
For the present fiscal year
about one million dollars of Gov
eminent money was set aside for
the payment of indemnities TO
owners of diseased cattle put to
death, and the states throughout
the Union raised about three times
the amount Of the Federal appro-
priation. Under the allotment
plan Vermont was allowed sos, 900
for the current year. According
to figures obtained from the Bu-
reau of Animal Industry, approx
imately $4,000 of this Govern
ment fund had been used up in
the Green Mountain state up to
December /, and with no end Of
the financial road in sight in the
near future the work in Vermont
has been appreciably slowed down
for the past thirty days or more,
the Bu3au states. 1t is further
set forth that it would be no
trouble at all by speeding up the
work of herdtesting to normal
rate to eXpend the entire balance
of the Federal money available for
the rest of the year within a pc
rod Of ten days.
A similar situation occurs in
other states, such as Illinois, Iowa,
New York, North Carolina, Mary
land, Virginia, and Texas, and the
Bureau officials have made ener-
getic efforts to get Congress to
give them about 100000 more so
that the work may be carried for
ward from this point to July l
without permitting it to lag any
where along the line. Gen. Dawes,
however, as Director of the Bud
get would not hear to anything
better than q deficiency approprla-
ton of 100000 for this purpose,
and accordingly then the Senate
passed upon the Urgent Deficiency
bill on Monday this was the figure
that received the Endorsement of
that branch, which was accvlh-
plshed through a committee
amendment to the bill. Efforts are
to be made to get the House to
agree to an increase over the
5000. 900, but it is rather doubtful
at this writing whether the in
crease will be ordered.
The Bureau OF Animal Industry
is authority for the statement
that during the last previous fiscal
year Vermont expended a total OF
100000 of Government money III
the payment Of these indemnites.
In that period 1882 animals that
had failed to pass the tubercular
tests were slaughtered IN the
state. Thus far this year the
number killed closely approx
mates 5000, the increase beng
due, according to the Bureau Oil
cials, probably to the impetus CIV
en- to this work by the Legislature
in appropriating 100000 q year
for two years OF State funds.
As all Vermont farmers know,
the payment Of indemnities for
slaughtered tubercular cattle is on
a $3.50 basis, that is, every gov
ernment dollar paid out to owners
j., matched by State dollar. 1t
NAV not be generally known, how
ever, that the average payment
per head in Vermont is almost the
Lowest rate in the country, only
few states reporting any lower
figures.
At the present time the Federal
Government rcimburscs each Yer
mont owner whose cattle have
been slaughtered as diseased the |
sum of S16.St per head. With the
state indemnity is an equal amount
the owner thus gets on the aver
age $33.G2. Then it is figured |
that there is an average salvage |
coming to him of about $1O.95 in
the way of hide, etc, thus giving |
the owner an average total return
Of $44.57.
1t seems rather difficult to get i
comprehensive answer to the
query as to why the rate of indem-
nifty is so comparatively low in
Vermont? at is due TO the low
rate Of the average appraisal IN
the state" say the Bureau people.
(Continuod m aara -aypD)