16

was emphatically laid down at this time that horse-breeding opera-
tions were to be regarded as primary and paramount. It was
frankly admitted that the supervising staff was inadequate, but this
was defended on the ground that money was required to create a
strong subordinate agency trained and recruited in the country.
" The department was considered to be established on these
lines in 1892, but it was not until 1895 that rules were finally issued
for acceptance. In point of fact, the department was not consti-
tuted until 1901 when the number of appointments had grown to
22 or 23 including the Imperial Bacteriologist. The rules for the
Army officers were then finally accepted by a number of officers who
were to form the nucleus of the new department. It had been
decided that future recruits should be obtained direct from the
colleges. For these officers different rules were drawn up.
" A resolution of the Government of India, Revenue and Agri-
culture, No. 26-123, dated 4th July 1893, had defined the duties
of the department rather fully.

The following were the main heads :—

        Horse-breeding ;

        Animal disease ;

        Instruction.

" Horse-breeding was admitted to be the first charge on the
attention of the department, but an Assistant to the Inspector
General and the Imperial Bacteriologist had begun to tackle the
problems connected with cattle disease, and two schools were well
established at Lahore and Bombay.

" The necessity of organizing a subordinate establishment under
each Local Government was pointed out in a Government of India
circular, No 41-47, Revenue and Agriculture Department, issued in
October, 1893. This scheme underwent many vicissitudes and
modifications and took many years to mature. The Punjab was the
first province to start a live provincial department when a special
officer was appointed in 1901 to organize it and to deal with disease
and cattle-breeding problems. Other provinces followed in due
course. It may be said that at this period, i.e., after 13 years of
haggling over rules, the department was fairly launched. As I said
before, the question had been under consideration for 20 years
before that.

" No sooner had the department been constituted than the Horse-
Breeding Commission came into existence. The result of the report
of that Commission was that in 1903 the principal work connected
with horse-breeding operations was taken away from the depart-