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ment. It. would be inappropriate for me to criticise that report
publicly, but I may say that the opinion of many officers outside
this department including officers of the Army Remount Depart-
ment coincided with mine.

" One thing was clear and that was that the Civil Veterinary
Department officers were too few to cope with the work. That
was remedied to a great extent when the Army Remount Depart-
ment took over by a very large increase in the number of officers.

" Whether the results of the recommendations of the Commission
have been satisfactory or not, it is not for me to say, but I will aver
that if the Civil Veterinary Department had been given the chance,
they would have been as good. At the time it seemed hard that a
department that had just been constituted for the purpose should
be treated with contumely before it had had its chance. The
obvious disabilities arising from employing temporary officers who
had no great interest in the country, and possibly an imperfect
knowledge of the language and conditions, had at last been removed.
The Government of India, at this stage, made a gallant attempt
to regenerate the department which had received a severe blow.
(Personally I think that it was at this time measured for its coffin.)
Their matured opinion was very clearly expressed in paragraph 9
of their despatch, No. 137, dated 5th May, 1904. It should be read
by all interested. It is a very important despatch in the history
of this department. One point was made in this despatch which
I desire to bring out very particularly. It stated that ' an increased
number of assistants of necessity entails the appointment of addi-
tional inspecting officers if the best results are to be obtained and
if money is not to be wasted wholesale for want of effective super-
vision '—that ' they were convinced that to stint the superior
staff unduly was the worst possible economy,' and that ' it must
not be overlooked that, when an expensive officer has too large a
charge, an excessive portion of his time is spent in travelling
which should be devoted to inspection.'

" I should like to add that large provincial establishments with
few superior officers entail a deadening atmosphere of office routine
which is most detrimental. By the time a Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, under present conditions, has dealt with
his office routine which has got to be performed without fail, he is
too tired to take up the many new problems which would be really
interesting and progressive. Continual travelling by train over
large areas is very fatiguing and wearing.

" At the date of this despatch, there were 15 Veterinary Inspectors
and 307 Veterinary Assistants. In 1916, (the last figures available)
there were 119Veterinary Inspectors and 1,056 Veterinary Assistants