No. «. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 137 



for by the State, but to do this would reciuire a much larger expeudi- 

 huo than appears at present to be obtainable. 



Much benefit in this direction is expected to come from the opera- 

 tion of the act of Assembly approved March 25, 1903, entitled "An 

 act to encourage the repression of tuberculosis of cattle, and to 

 provide for the disposition of the carcasses of meat-producing ani- 

 mals that are infested with tuberculosis to a degree that renders 

 their flesh unfit for use as food," and to which 1 have referred be- 

 fore. 



This act of Assembly makes a long and important step in ad- 

 vance in the matter of disposing of carcasses of animals found, upon 

 slaughter, to be tubercular. Heretofore, there has been no definite 

 or official method for disposing of such carcasses. The result was 

 that the meat of tubercular animals killed surreptitiously on farms 

 or in small out-of-the-way slaughter houses, was placed upon the 

 market and was sold for consumption without restriction. There 

 can be no doubt that as a result of this practice the public has been 

 exposed to the use of large quantities of unwholesome meat. There 

 are many men who would not dispose of their cattle in this way; 

 they were reluctant to lose their cattle that were out of condition 

 and possibly infected with this disease, and so the evil day was post- 

 poned from time to time until serious injury to the herd had re- 

 sulted. By making it possible regularly and in an officially ap- 

 proved way to slaughter animals suspected of being tubercular, 

 under competent inspection, with the understanding that if the 

 flesh is unwholesome it may be appraised within certain limits 

 and will be paid for the same as a cow with tuberculosis of the udder 

 in a milking herd, elimination of such animals is likely to be en- 

 couraged. To the public health, the greatest advantage will come 

 from the fact that there will be no inducement to persons who 

 find, after slaughter, that cattle are tubercular, to place the carcass 

 of such animals upon the market, because they may be inspected, 

 appraised and indemnity obtained from the State. Therefore, the 

 result that is expected to come from the operation of this law 

 will be advantageous to the consumer of meats and also to the 

 owners of cattle. It seems to be eminently proper that appraisal 

 and payment by the State should be made in these cases, because 

 the principle of indemnifying owners of animals infected with in- 

 fectious diseases, that it may be necessary for the benefit of the 

 public to control, is firmly established in the administrative pro- 

 cedures of all civilized countries. It has been found by prolonged 

 trial and the most careful investigation that payments of this kind 

 are profitable to the public and that they enable the public to 

 avoid grave dangers in respect to both health and property, and that 

 more can be accomplished by payments of this kind than in any 

 other way. 



lo"^ 



