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A summary of the 1944-45 vote, with 1943-44 figures in parentheses for comparative purposes, is given below : — Expenditure. Revenue. Appropriated. Paid out. Appropriated. Paid out. £ £ ££££££ Administrative services .. 660,616 (561,473) 657,491 (585,231) 148,270(138,000) 169,551(155,193) Miscellaneous advances, &c. .. 558,130 (486,570) 564,788 (505,677) 26,855 (23,205) 35,029 (24,294) Payments under statutes .. 109,000 (104,500) 115,427 (108,845) 2,000 (1,250) 2,811 (2,866) Totals .. .. .. 1,327,746(1,152,543)1,337,706(1,199,753) 177,125(162,455) 207,391(182,353) Loss credits-in-aid .. 177,125 207,391 Net totals .. .. 1,150,621 1,130,315 Financial transactions, mainly revenue, under Special Acts and Deposits Accounts brought in about £89,000, and after dealing with outgoings under deposits, approximately £74,000 remained as available revenue. War Expenses Account has again been a substantial financial feature. Gross expenditure was greater than in the previous year by £651,000, and gross revenue greater by £451,000. in round figures, War Expenses Account expenditure amounted to £2,740,000, adjusting credits to £999,000, leaving net expenditure at £1,741,000. LIVE-STOCK DIVISION REPORT OF W. C. BARKY, DIRECTOR The year 1944-45 was a mixed one in regard to live-stock production. Favourable conditions prevailed throughout the winter, and with plenty of feed stock wintered well. The late spring and early summer months were not so favourable for production through cold weather retarding production However, as has been noted in previous years with a late spring growth, there was not the heavy mortality of dairy stock which has been experienced under the opposite set of spring feed conditions. The rainfall through the summer was good, and the last quarter of the year was distinctly good for dairy production. Feed was plentiful, and many dairy factories will record an increased output. A wet season, on the other hand, is not so favourable for the sheep-farmer, particularly the fat-lamb producer. In several districts there has been trouble with lambs scouring and not fattening as they would under drier conditions. This tends to result in light-weight lambs being killed, and a large number of lambs have to be fattened on crops or carried over into the winter. Older sheep fattened very well under the pasture conditions. Health of Live-stock Horses have remained healthy during the year. Apart from an outbreak of anthrax, no serious epidemic disease of sheep or cattle occurred during the year. Scheduled Diseases of Cattle Tuberculosis. —The number of cattle condemned under the Stock Act for tuberculosis during the year ended 31st March, 1945, amounted to 5,088 head, 4,532 being condemned on clinical symptoms and 556 being reactors to the tuberculin test. The tuberculin test was applied to 17,319 cattle, of which number 556 reacted, giving a percentage of 3-2. The lower percentage of reactors this year is due to the retesting of a number of herds previously tested. At the owners' request 15,838 cattle were tested. Actinomycosis and Actinobacillosis.— The number of animals condemned for this disease was 757, a large number being successfully treated. Malignant Growth. —The number of cattle condemned for malignant growth was 268. In all cases compensation was paid in accordance with the Stock Act. Anthrax. —The vaccination of cattle on farms where this disease occurred a few years ago has been continued. In August, 1944, an outbreak of anthrax occurred at a new centre, causing the death of 13 cows and 4 pigs. The control measures of vaccination and regulation of the movement of stock on to the farm have been very satisfactory, in that no further loss of stock was experienced. Blackleg. —The number of calves vaccinated against this disease in Taranaki was 16,572, and in Auckland 36,407, making a total of 52,979. In the Auckland district there were 302 outbreaks of the disease as compared with 283 last year. Johne's Disease. —ln the Taranaki district 81 animals affected with this disease were condemned under the Stock Act during the. year. The majority of the animals dealt with were clinical cases of the disease. Non-scheduled Diseases The incidence of diseases associated with calving was low last spring. Contagious abortion and mammitis still continue as serious diseases for the dairy-farmer. It is pleasing to record that results obtained from the use of the abortion vaccine (strain 19) are very favourable, and increasing numbers of calves are being vaccinated from year to year. This-angle of control in regard to this disease is likely to call for larger numbers of animals to be vaccinated each year.

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