TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10594, 25 October 1910, Page 1

TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE.

STA'I EMENT MR I{ ISAK.ES

(Per Pit ess ' 'Association .)•' [* : <" Wellington;" October • 24;. ' j v The Mymtei' of Agriculture (thG'Hon: :T. Mackenzie) has obtained a report ■ CKidf yetermaTian .(Mr«--G:» J. lleakes)'-upon. the question of the .tra'nstuberculosis by milk ,from disease.d. cowSjywitli special* reference to the-: conditions 111 .Christchurch brought .■to ! -death thero ; oi a girl'lfrom tubercular peritonitis. • "I am notiquita clear/'• Mr Reakes wrote* "whether, there was specific, evidence .that infected milk , was,: without Question responsible for setting up- the disease-in the 1 - girl . wlio died recently: in Christchurch -from tubercular peritonitis, said to.-have been caused by drinknfg tubercular-lnilk; ? -,lt would' appear difficult to prove this, .seeing that the ■diseased condition, was.:.one of long standing- * It- is reported that' a statein entiwas.made that.2o percent.- of the milk 'delivered ,111 came from jtuberculai' cows.j,. This.statement is altogether to the evidence furnished by inspectors' reports,: and, I am quite satisfied that, there- is. nothing like so large-a,percenta.ge of, tubercular cows supplying -milt in vChristchi'ircfi, 'or any: other place -in: ,tlie;"Qbmnign., -.• Inspectors -working..among the dairies -pay particular attention to the health of the cows, especially at regards, tuberculosis and the. yielding, of, ■milk infected by.-the germs of this,.disease. , Every, effort, is made to eliminate, from the- herds - the cows (dangerous from':this.point,:of :view, the-practice being'to.,make' av careful chmcal. examination of. each, individual cow - and -destroy anv-showing outward evjdences.vandiiipplying,.the.tuberculin test; to-.ev.er.y animal,which, while, not -giving definite indications, . -.Vet arouses suspicion ,nr the mmd iof 'the inspector. . Further., sample? of'the/collective milk of- the ■ herd- are<t collected and- sent to the Wallaceville laboratory 1 for examination., with, a view ,of',endeavouring to detect- the,presence offtuberclc bacilli;m fact, every;effort ia made to eliminate from, the dairy, herds dangerous tubercular cows. Tlio-inspection of dairies is much , more thorough and efficient now tliairit lias ever been,; seeing that a larger staff is engaged m the work than when Mr Macpherson so • energetically dealt with tlic dairy inspection at Chnstchurcli'. Two inspectors are constantly engaged yin tliev inspection of dairies, and in addition'tho'veterinary officer stationed at Christchurch devotes a considerable portion. of his tune to work among dairy cows,, further veterinary service'being rendered by the veterinary supervisor for- the districts -The 'questioin of adulteration of nnlk is one which is entirely in the hands of tlio Health Department, and that department is, actively and energetically dealing with it: As regards the-milk supply at Manchester, I wont very fully into the .question with tlio authorities there during my late visit to England, and, ;good as Manchester is,-1 am quite satisfied that thosystem of inspection of dairy eows and milking premises prevailing in Christchurch to-day is much more thorough than is the caso there. In New Zealand we have a great- advantage over the authorities at Hpine, seeing that our powers enable us "to destroy diseased cows, whereas in tlio Old Country such power doe.'! not exist."; '