COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. 



285 



or even upon the same farms if the recommendations of the Com- 

 missioners as to their thorough disinfection is complied with. 



Hereafter no such action of the town officers as in these cases 

 will be called for, for if any ease of suspected contagious or infec- 

 tious disease arises, they have only to notify the Commissioners, 

 upon which a prompt investigation will ensue, and if they order the 

 animals destroyed, there would then be no question about the liability 

 of the vState to pay the full amount of any fair and honest appraisal. 



The Commissioners take great pleasure in being able to announce 

 that since their duties commenced, none of the contagious diseases 

 that have affected other States have made their appearance in Maine, 

 nor do we believe that any cause of anxiety is apparent or probable, 

 especially in view of the precautions being taken, and already in 

 force in this State, by which the United States government has 

 established ample quarantine accommodations at Portland for the 

 detention of all imported cattle during the full period of incubation, 

 of any of the diseases to which the}' might be liable. 



The remaining case to which our attention was called was on April 

 10th, which proved to be a case of contagious Glanders. The horse 

 was owned by Mr. Charles E. Odion of Gorham, and the animal 

 was accordingly appraised and destroyed, as soon as the provisions 

 of the law in these cases could be complied with. 



GEORGE H. BAILEY, V. S., Secretary.. 

 Z. A. GILBERT. 

 W. B. FERGUSON. 

 June 12, 1883. 



