REPORT OF cattle; COMMISSIONERS, 295 



for the same. It has been only through the insistence of the 

 Commission that anything has been saved at all. Under an 

 inspection law, larger amounts can be recovered, as the pres- 

 ent system of freighting the animals to a rendering plant eats 

 up nearly all the returns, and unless they are so dealt with 

 there are no returns at all. The killing, skinning and burying 

 on the farm practically uses up all the returns that can be 

 secured. 



An inspection law enters into the savings question so closely 

 that it is the basis of the whole question. The expense of in- 

 spection is to be borne by the Federal Government, and they 

 are willing to assume it. 



The expense to the cities and towns affected will be small 

 compared to the results obtained, and certainly not large in 

 any case, and it is an open question if the disposal of the offal, 

 in most cases, will not pay the running expenses and show a 

 profit. 



In Massachusetts, the cattle from Maine that are condemned 

 under the tuberculin test are slaughtered under inspection and 

 those that are fit for food passed, the carcasses sold, and the 

 proceeds deducted from the appraised value. In York and 

 Cumberland counties, there is a modified form of what might 

 be called inspection ; that is to say, butchers are their own 

 inspectors and when tuberculosis is found, they notify the 

 Cattle Commission, a post-mortem examination is made, and 

 the carcass is condemned. 



This has resulted in a cleaner meat supply. It has resulted 

 in a reduction of tuberculous cattle, because the butcher buys 

 with more confidence what he formerly had fear of and left 

 on the community ; a fear not always justified, as results have 

 proved. 



In the southern part of York county there has not been much 

 testing done. 



Aroostook county is another section where practically no 

 \\'ork had been done previous to 1909. During the year 1908 

 several carloads of dairy cattle were shipped in there from 

 Central Maine, and the people reading and hearing so much 

 about what was being done in the western part of the State, 

 became suspicious that disease was being brought into their 

 county and made a demand upon the Commissioners to have 



