THE CATTLE TICK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1515, 22 April 1919, Page 7

THE CATTLE TICK.

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. A statement rpffurdiiiff th» cattle tic!; which is causing s -o much anxiety among pastoralists in trip. North Island was made by the Minister oi Agriculture (the iion. \V. D. S. MacUonaktj on Saturday: " 'there' seems tb be considerable anxiety amongst pastoralists about ticks in cattle, said the Minister. "It is a matter thai n„a t-een under observation by tho Agricultural JJopartment for some years. As tar as tiie scientific men ot the Department are concerned they think there is no cause lor alarm. The question of dealing with these ticks has been given very _careful consideration, and it lias been decided to d'ralt regulations ior the purpose, and thefco are now in preparation. The question has had to be considered very carefully from every [Kjint of view, seeing that tho most caivi'ul inquiries and investigations which have been made, and are still going on fit those parts of the north where the parasites are most prevalent, have failed to reveal any single case in which a cattlebeast lias shown indications of suffering in health as a result of their presence upon it. " Tho ticks are of a different variety to those which in Queensland act as conveyers from animal to animal of the disease known as ' tick fever,' which causes very serious loss to stockowhers in that State. This disease, ' tick fever,' is nob present in Now Zealand, and never has been, and the additional quarantine regulations made specifically to prevent 'worm-nests' and pleuropneumonia gaining entrance into New Zealand from Australia have further strengthened our position in keeping out this disease. Tides themselves cannot cause tick fever.

" Any repressive action taken now, therefore, must bo taken on the lines of preventing jtossiblo future trouble, by destroying the ticks when found, and of doing what is possiblo to prevent the spread of these parasites to other parts of thc_ Dominion. Their spread in tho north is no doubt due largely to' the warmer climate, which is favourable to their propagation. As a matter of fact, ticks of this class have been present for generations past in most other countries, including Great Britain, and practically the whole of Europe, though under the colder weather conditions prevail, ing there, and also the dilferenl conditions under which cattle are kept, they have never been any source of trouble. In New Zealand, inquiry shows that they were found in the extreme north at least twentylive years ago, and again in another area north of Auckland twelvo years ago, and during the whole of the intervening period no instances occurred in which any jlletl'eets have been traced to them.

"It is necessary to make the position clear from the point of view as stated, but in order that no risk may be taken in the direction of possible future trouble, it is. as already stated, proposed to take reasonable and prompt measures to cope with these parasites, as information obtained from other countries, where the climate is suitable for their easy dissemination, indicates that some monetary loss can be caused by them when they become very numerous. How monetary loss is brought about may be. summarised as follows:

"(a) By tho lowering of condition through loss of blood when largo numbers of ticks nro harboured by one animal. "(b) By decreased milk-yield of cows harbouring large numbers of tho ticks. "(c) By deterioration in the valuo of hides Wlien large numbers of ticks are present the value of tho hido for conversion into leather is reduced. It is stated that a budlv affected 'ticky' hido is worth from 4s to 10s less than if sound. "(d) Possible mortality among animals harbouring largo numbers of 'ticks when they are already weakened by various forms of sickness, insuflicient food, etc. "Tho conclusions arrived at by the scientific officers of tho Department as to the identiy of these ticks have been confirmed by high authorities in England, to whom .specimens were sent for examination."