3

                                        (i) Hospitals and Dispensaries.

12.  Two new veterinary institutions were opened during the year, a dispensary
at Tiruppur and a hospital at Ootacamund, and both have made a good start.

13.  In the following institutions a marked decrease in the amount of work
done is observed:—Cocanada, Pithapuram, Ongole, Madura, Virakeralampudur,
Parlakimedi, Sivagiri, Nuzvid, Bezwada, Bhadrachalam, Jaggayapet, Gudivada,
Adoni, Ranipet and Puttur. The same reasons as in previous years are given for
this decrease, but there is no doubt that the personal element in the form of the
Assistant in charge has a great deal to do with the amount of work done at any
institution, whether medical or veterinary.

14.  As a contrast the amount of work done at the majority of the institutions
shows an increase, and the number of new cases treated during the year at the
institutions at Trichinopoly, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Calicut, Coonoor and
Palghat was over 2,000, which is quite satisfactory.

15.  There was a slight increase from 2,617 to 2,643 in the number of castra-
tions performed at veterinary institutions during the year. As usual the institu-
tions in Ganjam district did the largest number.

16.  The following Assistants deserve credit for the work done at their insti-
tutions :—A. R. Venkatachala Ayyar, P. S. Kuppuswami, T. Vinayakam, T. R.
Rajagopala Rao, M. Audimula Mudaliar, G. Avudanayakam, L. Subrahmanya Ayyar,
M. T. Krishnaswami Ayyangar, P. I. Chakko, S. Anantayya Sastri, V. Janakirama
Ayyar, C. V. Padmanabhan, K. A. Ramaswami, A. Krishnaswami, K. V. Raghavan,
P. N. Sivaraman, S. Krishnamurthi, P. Kadambavanasundaram, M. A. Gaffur, K. S.
Veerabahu, L. Kumaraswami, B. Ramalinga Nayudu and L Audinarayana Sarma.

17.  It was brought to the notice of Government during the year that a good
deal of hardship was being caused by the levy of a toll-gate fee on unladen animals
proceeding to a veterinary institution. As a result Government invited the attention
of local bodies to the Local Boards and District Municipalities Act under which they
can exempt persons bringing animals for treatment at veterinary institutions as a
class.

As far as is known only the District Boards of Malabar and Madura have taken
action on the suggestion from Government.

18.  Animals brought to a busy veterinary institution for treatment may be
kept waiting for some time and therefore require some sort of protection from the sun
or rain. A type-design for a dressing-shed was therefore prepared and has been
approved by Government.

                                                (ii) Itinerating.

19.  Six new touring billets were created during the year with headquarters at
Sattur, Karur, Kumbakonam, Tiruvannamalai, Dindigul and Yellamanchilli. Every
district in the Presidency is therefore now provided with at least 2 Touring Veteri-
nary Assistants, but some of them are in urgent need of still further subdivision.

20.  A comparison of the work done in the last two years by the touring staff is
shown below:—

21. The large drop in the number of inoculations performed is due to the small
incidence of rinderpest during the year and the introduction of fees for inoculation
against this disease.

As a retrenchment measure the number of tour days per mensem of Touring
Veterinary Assistants was reduced from 20 to 15 from February 1922, so that a
reduction in the amount of work done by this agency was to be expected ; but the
measure appears to have had an effect only on the number of castrations performed.