MAMMITIS IN COWS

Southland Times, Issue 19458, 24 January 1925, Page 6

MAMMITIS IN COWS

THE HAMILTON VACCINE. A PREVENTATIVE, NOT A CURE. (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, January 23. Considerable publicity has been given to the cause and cure of mammitis recently, and farmers throughout New Zealand are anxiously awaiting some definite cure for this troublesome disease. The Director-General of Agriculture, Dr C. J. Reakes, who has just returned from a tour of the Waikato district, stated today that the Department is using every endeavour to satisfactorily deal with the trouble. THOROUGH TESTS TO BE MADE. “When in Hamilton this week,” said Dr Reakes, “I went very fully into the matter of the vaccine treatment for contagious mammitis in dairy cows, and also had a discussion with the proprietors of it. “It must be clearly understood that it, is not claimed that this vaccine will cure contagious mammitis. What is claimed for it is that it acts as a preventative. As stated recently, the Department endeavoured some time ago—about the end of November in fact—to obtain a, supply of this vaccine in order to test it out, but was unable to get it. A statement has now been made by the' proprietors which clears up any misconception which may have arisen as to the Department not having taken earlier steps in the matter of testing the material. A supply has lately been made available and arrangements for thorough tests are in hand. It must be understood that as the vaccine is put forward as a preventative and not as a cure, the testing out process must necessarily be lengthy; at least a year or eighteen months, and possibly two years, must elapse before a final decision can be arrived at. Meanwhile I am unable to say whether the vaccine is or is not reliable, and can only advise a cautious attitude pending the acquisition of further knowledge. We are going to give it a fair and thorough test, both in the Waikato districts and at the Wallaceville laboratory.” STATEMENT BY PROPRIETORS. “The proprietors of the vaccine have had their attention drawn to the fact by the Director-General of Agriculture that his Department has been misrepresented with regard to the attitude the Department has adopted in connection with the testing of the vaccine. It is correct that the Department was unable to obtain a supply of the vaccine when it was first desired. It was later made available, but under restrictions which the proprietors now realise would not have been acceptable to the Department. All these restrictions have now been withdrawn and the material is now available for the Department to test at its own discretion. In addition the proprietors desire to clear up an entire misconception which appears to have arisen regarding their interview with Hon G. J. Anderson that he pledged the support of Cabinet to the scheme of using the vaccine and gave authority to the proprietors to proceed with their operations. This was not the case at all. All that was stated by the Minister was that the question of the efficiency of the vaccine seemed to be worthy of investigation, and he promised that he would communicate the whole of the facts placed before him to his colleague the Minister for Agriculture, in order that the vaccine might be given a thorough trial.”