FARM AND STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2151, 16 May 1895, Page 14

FARM AND STATION.

(Continued from page 8.)

THE PERTHSHIRE'S CATTLE.

FLEURO-PNEUMONIA. Christchuhch, May 9. Mr Gilruth, Government veterinary surgeon, arrived at Lyttelton this morning for the purpose of tal<iug step 3in connection with tbe Australian ca'tlo on the steamer Perthshire, one of which was suspected to be suffering from pleuro-pneumonia. It was resolved to slaughter tha beast, aud Mr Gilruth, with Mr Charlton, M.R.C.V.S., held a post mortem. A bullock which died on Tuesday was also examined. No information as to the result was permitted to leak out till instructions were received from Wellington, but as the time for the steamer's departure drew near tie rumour spread that the Government had refused her a customs cle&rauce, without which she could not proceed to eea, Upon inquiry at the customs this was ound to be com ct. ALout 4 p.m. instructions were received trom Wellington that the vessel was to be showed to proceed to sea, and it was tben learned tbat the bullock killed that mnraing bad ben found to be Buffering from coatsgioua pleuro-pneumonia. The other animal which died on Tuesday showed signs of gangrenous pneumonia. Both bodieß were left dd the 6te»mer, and will be thrown overboard when she gets to sea. The president of the Centerbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association has sent a telegram to the Government urging the importance cl makiug it clearly known in Gn-at Iki' in tl ar the cr-Ule on the Perth^liire did not comg, f urn New Zealand, and had no .communicatK 11 *i:tli the shore here. Wei.lt koton, IK ay 10. Th« Government have cabled to tbe Asentgenerel to take precautions to make it cKar that the Perthshire's Bhiprrmit cf r&ltl; has nothing to do with New Zealand. Communications are also passing with the QmcimlAnd Government. Tho Btock department do not consider aiiy further action re the Perthshire's cattle neces-

sary, as there was no communication with the chore. All the cattle arc Australian.

(Fhom Our Own CoBnESPONDRNT.) Wkllington, May 9/ The outbreak of pleuro-pneuinoma on board I the Perthshire at Ljtseltou dees not come alto-gt-tl er as r. surprise. I happen to know that ' th« pos-ibihty of Buch a development among the cattle shipped from Queensland to Britain via Na<v Zealand has bteu from the firsb the subject ot anxious c> ncern to Mv J D. Ritchie, Secretary for Agticulture, and thai he and his officers have been constantly on ihe alert to detomine the causes of any apparent sickne-s amoug tho stock comprised in the^e shipments. I bad personal experience of this s.mo months ago when vith .Mr Ritchie I inspected here a sbipment of Australian cattle on board the Butethire One of the bullocks was suffering from the effects of au injury to a leg caußed during ehipment ; but there were symptoms that might have been indicative of incipifnt plturo, aud I was glad to find th;»t Mr Ritchie was instantly alive to the posMbility. I boou learned that the inrst Bttingeut postibie prtcvutionsbad from the first been taken against this contingency, and, count ious of this, I di cided that no good could result from publishing the fact, as it might ouly create nesdUss alarm and lead to a restriction of the trade that would be resented as an unneighbourly act b>our Austialian friends. This has b«en Mr Ritchie's feeling, and he bag nonsequoitly been for mouths past anxiou3ly on the aierb. Tha Buteshire sbii>ni:ntof cattle were bred in the north division of Queensland, aud thi« country is comparatively free from pleuro ; but to reach the ports of shipment they must be driven across the eastern watershed, and it is on tbe oobsj distric's tbat the disease in most rife. It 'v more than probable that the Queensland catilo now on the Perthshire at Lyttekon have thus coutractsd tbe dis^a-e, which may remain latent aud undeveloped for a period. The disease 13 a dreadful scourge among cattle, though its ravages may be largely neutralised by iaoculatioa. Ncvfriholeß« it has inflicted enormous losses upon the atockowneis of Australia, pirticuU'ly in these purln of Queensland where the raWif-.1l is uniformly heavy and the grass of rank luxurias.cj. It is stated here th<it upon the captain of the Perthshire ri fusing to allow the beast that dad abjaid the steamer to be cut up en boM'J the 6fceamer, tht; St.ck depart mant wired tbe local btock inspector to immediately take possession of one of the live cattle under the power* conferred by tie Stock Act. This was done, aud upoo bdng killed and examined, the reßult proving the prcenoe of pleuro-pneumonia, the Stock department telegraphed that the steamer need not be detained. ■Wku.ington, May 10. The QueensLiud Government were promptly aivieed of the outbreak of pleuro-pneuuiouia on the Perthshire, andtbo Agent-general will be advised to givo full publicity to tbe fact that the rait'.e are from Australia and not New Zealand. The question of prohibiting the Australian cattle ships from touching at Now Zealand ports will, I bclitve, have immediate consideration by the Cabinet.