6

32.  It will be seen that considerable progress continues to be made in
developing the resources of all our Veterinary Colleges and placing them on
a better footing in regard to buildings and equipment. The younger Colleges
are steadily making progress in this direction. We cannot at present comp-
lete the Imperial staff of teachers but when officers become available for the
purpose this will be done.

                               II.-TREATMENT OF DISEASE.

Contagious
disease amongst
solipeds,
Outbreaks,
Mortality, etc.

33.  The reported mortality from contagious diseases amongst the ani-
mals named therein is shown in Table II. The Army Remount Department deals
with all cases of contagious disease amongst equines occurring in the districts
selected for horse breeding under their Department and we have no record of
them.

34.  The same remarks as were made last year in regard to their accuracy,
apply equally this year. The figures relate only to cases which have been
brought to the notice of the staff and do not in any way represent the total
mortality from contagious diseases in our districts.

35.  Glanders —The number of deaths reported from this disease is much
smaller than last year, 420 against 960, the principal decrease being noticed in
Bengal which only returns 259 against 875 last year. Good progress was made
in the arrangements for the working of the Glanders and Farcy Act in
Calcutta. Work was started systematically in the middle of November. The
area under the Notifications Nos. 3581-T. R., and 3582-T. R., dated 29th
September 1905, is divided into 6 districts, each in charge of a Veterinary
Inspector, who has a constable of the Veterinary Preventive Force to accompany
him. The Chief Inspector supervises the work. Lieutenant-Colonel Ray-
mond, who is in charge of the operations, visits the stables of the large horse
dealers and shippers and no animal is seized under the Act until it is inspected
by him or by the Chief Inspector. A good deal of tact is required in working
a newly applied Act as this is, because the people must be gradually accus-
tomed to its provisions. The question of a grant of compensation to the
owners of horses slaughtered under the Act was, on Colonel Raymond's recom-
mendation, considered favourably. No doubt, cases of hardship occur when
the horses of people with limited means are killed. A small sum of Rs.
434-10-8 was given as compensation in 20 such cases.

36.  Two thousand nine hundred and twenty four (2,924) stables were ins-
pected and Glanders was detected in 58. The total number of horses admitted
into the contagious disease hospital was 120. Of these, 72 were fully developed
cases of glanders. I think Lieutenant-Colonel Raymond deserves credit for
the manner in which he has arranged for the application of the Act.

37.  There were 259 cases reported by district officers in Bengal. A serious
outbreak occurred in Champaran in the stables of two planters in which seven
horses were destroyed. The proposal to extend the Glanders and Farcy Act
to the whole of Bengal and to grant compensation for animals destroyed, is
under consideration.

38.  In Bombay, the total number of horses destroyed for Glanders by the
Glanders and Farcy Department was 29 of which 8 belonged todealers, and 17
of the horses destroyed were Arabs. The disease was also found in 6
Australians, 4 Persians, and 2 Country-breds.

39.  In Eastern Bengal and Assam, the Act is now in force in the follow-
ing towns and districts. The district of Comilla, the towns of Dacca, Mym-
ensingh, Chittagong, Rungpur, Gauhati, Shillong, and on the whole length of
the Gauhati-Shillong road (a distance of 63 miles). A proposal to extend the
Act to all plains districts is under consideration. There has been a large
increase in the number of cases, 49 having occurred.

40.  The disease was not very prevalent in other Provinces. There were 6
cases (at Allahabad, Benares and Gorakhpur) in the United Provinces, 2—one
Sialkot and one at Lahore—in the Punjab, 2 at Karachi in Sind and 1 at
Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province.