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and these must have increased since then. The number of Imperial
Officers for district work has remained practically the same but an
extra officer for the Punjab and one for the North-West Frontier
Province have been provided, also one for Burma but a school has
been established too. Lately, an extra officer each for Madras, the
Central Provinces, the United Provinces and a separate one for the
North-West Frontier Province have been sanctioned but not em-
ployed. Even with these, the charges of the Superintendents will
remain much too large. I wonder if the members of this meeting
realize that there is one officer in charge of Sind, Baluchistan and
Rajputana, and one Superintendent in charge of Bombay with an
establishment of 1 Deputy Superintendent, 4 Inspectors and 83
Veterinary Assistants actually employed but more sanctioned.

" So far as district work is concerned, I think it is clear that
Superintendents can do nothing more under present conditions than
they are doing now. In spite of great disabilities a good deal of
progress has been made in several provinces. A large number
of dispensaries are doing good work, and contagious disease is re-
ceiving greater and more efficient attention. The duties of a Superin-
tendent are very multifarious and exacting. I have referred to
this matter here to indicate that although the Government of India
realized the danger of stinting the superior staff in charge of esta-
blishments as far back as 1904, they have not warded it off.

" Returning to the history of the department, I wish to refer
now to the abolition of the Inspector-Generalship which had effect
from 1st April, 1912. Before this the Government of India had been
coquetting rather strongly with decentralization and had reduced
the authority and usefulness of the Inspector-General very consi-
derably. When the decision finally had effect, however, it was a
great shock to the department. Apart from the fact that it was
considered a breach of faith (officers had been recruited on the
understanding that the appointment was open to them), it had a
very serious effect on the department. I am a great believer
in measures of decentralization myself, but I am quite certain that
in a scientific department such as this, matters may easily be carried
too far. Directors of Agriculture, with the best intentions in the
world, cannot realize the scope of the department's possibilities. and
they have no means of guiding their veterinary officers' professional
energies. The Agricultural Departments proper have taken up
most of their attention and the Veterinary Departments have
been neglected. Their job is to administer and, in doing this, they
cannot estimate sometimes the relative importance of a well ordered
office and professional efficiency. It seems to me also that there
is a very pernicious influence in India which impels Local Govern-
ments and Administrations to differ, if possible, from a central