8

at our disposal It will serye a useful purpose, however, if the seeds
of further progress can be planted in the hope that nutrition will
be provided. The subject of legislation was discussed at the pre-
vious conference, but the Government of India doubted whether
with the existing staff any practical advantages would be gained by
enhancing the legal powers of enforcing preventive and curative
measures against cattle disease. The position has not altered
materially since then.

The need of improving our means of obtaining more accurate
statistical information is obvious. We are all aware that the
existing systems are unsatisfactory.

The role of the department in respect to animal husbandry
was discussed at the last conference.

Animal husbandry is a very wide subject intimately connected
with complicated economic factors.

There are few problems more complex than the problem of how
to effect an improvement in cattle breeding in India, and there is
an increased public demand for salutary measures. Such measures,
to have any chance of success, require to be discussed in a broad-
minded and comprehensive spirit by men who have special knowledge
of the scientific side and, in particular, considerable experience of
the peculiar conditions occurring in this country.

It is certain that Government cannot provide large capital
expenditure to invest in animal industries, but model farms and
dairies are necessary for educational purposes.

Private enterprise on sound lines should be encouraged. I
consider that each Province ought to appoint a standing advisory
committee to deal with the question.

Committees should not be large and should be formed of well-
informed non-officials associated with veterinary, agricultural, and
dairy experts, with a revenue officer as secretary.

It might be advisable also to constitute a central committee
on the same lines with the Government of India, to which references
could be made and reports submitted. With the aid of the reports
the central committee should be able to frame certain principles
and circulate them for information and guidance from time to time.
This method of dealing with the matter conforms in principle with
the views of the committee which discussed Subject XII at the
meeting of the Board of Agriculture at Pusa in 1916.

The Government of India concurred in the report of the com-
mittee and in reviewing the proceedings of the last Veterinary
Conference stated that they were not prepared to reconsider the
matter at present. The subject has been entered in the agenda