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Division of Animal Industry 



Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 20, 1916. 



Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, 

 Honolulu, Hawaii. 



Gentlemen : — I have the honor to submit herewith the report of 

 the Division of Animal Industry for the month of August, 1916: 



Bovine Tuberculosis Control. 



I beg to call attention to the appended report of the Assistant 

 Territorial \>terinarian in regard to the last tuberculin test on the 

 Kuliouou lands belonging to Mr. Charles Bellina. Sixteen cows 

 reacted to the test and, as stated in this report, ]\Ir. Bellina re- 

 fused to remove them from the herd. Under these circiuiistances 

 letters were addressed to the president of the Board of Health 

 and to the City and County Physician of Honolulu, respectively, 

 calling attention to the fact that the condition referred to ap- 

 peared to be an infringement on both the Sanitary Code of the 

 Board of Health and the Alunicipal Milk Ordinance. These two 

 regulations require that all dairy cattle must be tuberculin tested, 

 and classify as "adulterated" milk from tuberculous cows or from 

 cows recently exposed to an infectious or transmissible disease. 



Air. Bellina delivers his milk to the Honolulu Dairymen's Asso- 

 ciation and the fact that this association has installed up to date 

 pasteurizing machinery does not seem to me to warrant Mr. Bel- 

 lina's disregard of the said ordinances, both of which aim at 

 keeping the dairies free from infectious and contagious diseases, 

 but say nothing about treating the milk for contamination. 



In my opinion pasteurization, under efficient and official con- 

 trol, may be relied upon to destroy the tubercle bacteria in milk, 

 but in view of the fact that this Board has endeavored for the 

 past six years to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, and has suc- 

 ceeded in so far as 80 to 90 per cent, of the local dairy herds 

 are concerned, it would seem this time were ill chosen for setting 

 aside this policy and resorting to pasteurization. It would, in 

 fact, be a great injustice to the many dairymen who have cleaned 

 their herds of tuberculous animals at great expense, and who are 

 constantly endeavoring to keep disease out of their herds, as ex- 

 perience has fully proved that tuberculous cattle on neighboring 

 premises are very likely to transmit the disease to the clean herds 

 surrounding them. 



What action the territorial Board of Health and the municipal 

 authorities will take in the matter remains to be seen and until 

 decided upon it would, in my opinion, be well for this Board to 

 defer further action. 



