VETERINARY PROFESSOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13814, 29 July 1908, Page 7

VETERINARY PROFESSOR.

— APPOINTMENT FOR MR. GIL'.iUTH. .By Telegraph.—Press Association.— • Melbourne, July 28. Mr. J. A. Gilrdth, head of the veterinary division of the New Zealand Stock Department, has been appointed Professor :■ of Veterinary Pathology and Director of the Stock Diseases Research Institute of .Victoria, at a salary of £1000 a year. .

It has bßen generally understood iii Wellington for some time past (telegraphs our special > representative) that the Dominion was likely to lose the services of Mr, Gilruth. ; The matter was referred to in : Parliament the other, evening, but the Minister for: Agriculture, did not seem to be aware of the position. Mr. McNab stated yesterday that Mr. Gilruth had not communicated with him, and be had no knowledge of the appointment as cabled from Melbourne. Mr. Gilruth states that arrangements in regard to the matter have not been quite completed. The position which had been offered to him some time ago is the first of the kind to be established in Victoria. Previously the institute had been under private control. In future it is to be under the j control of the Melbourne University, but will be subsidised by. the Government. So far nothing definite has been laid down in regard to the position, and before the! institute can be got into full wording order a good deal of organising work will have to be done. The present appointment comes to Mr. Gilruth absolutely unsought, but in any case he was not likefy to remain in New.Zealand much longer under present conditions. As a matter of fact, it has been known i for: some time pasrt that an equally important position in Gi'eat Britain lias. been under offer to him, which would have involved research work iin various parts of the world. Four years ago, also, the Imperial Govern-, men!) cabled to the New Zealand Govern- : inenii asking that Mr. Gilruth should be allowed to take the position of head of the Veterinary Department in the, Transvaal at a salary very largely in advance of what h* was getting in New Zealand. ' He was 'o take up the position vacated by the Transvaal, officer who was appointed chief veterinarian in Great Britain. The cablegram offering the appointment was, however, kept back from Mr. Gilruth, so it J* said, and he did not know of it until too late. It is possible that because .of - this. action on th» part of th; Government Mr. Gilruth may have a claim for compensation. The position he vacates will probably be oftVred to Mr. Beakcs, hir second in command, who is now en « visit to the 0& ■ World. Mr. Reakes has previously. acted • \ as head of the Department m Mr. 1.-u- . ruth's absence fi jm Nov?Zealand.