PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION K. 697 



veterinary services existed in New South Wales, Victoria, and 

 Queensland, while the remaining Colonies possessed at least a 

 Government veterinary surgeon. 



The beginning of the present century, however, fittingly 

 marked a new era in the progress of our profession in connexion 

 with State service. The appointment of veterinarians to the 

 time-honoured position of chief inspector of stock in the States 

 of Western Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria, in order 

 named, was a material advance, as these appointments marked 

 an official recognition in Australia of veterinarians as responsible 

 administrators. At the time the wisdom of this innovation was 

 questioned in certain quarters, and it is worthy of record that on 

 two of these positions becoming vacant, owing to promotion of 

 the appointees, the Governments concerned selected two other 

 members of the veterinary service to fill the vacancies, thus dis- 

 proving the oft-expressed opinion that scientists make poor ad- 

 ministrators. The success that has attended the efforts of these 

 officers is in a measure traceable to the fact that their appoint- 

 ment placed the veterinary staff in a more advantageous position, 

 from which developed more efficient service to their respective 

 States, and as a natural corollary, a greater appreciation of the 

 veterinarian by the public. 



Further, within the past three years, two of our notable 

 members have had conferred upon them signal honour. In 1910, 

 Dr. S. S. Cameron was selected for appointment as Director of 

 Agriculture of the State of Victoria, while last year Dr. J. A. 

 Gilruth, then Professor of Pathology at the Melbourne Veterinary 

 School, was invited to accept the position of Administrator of the 

 Northern Territory. It may be expressed with confidence that 

 the manner in which these two officials will carry out their 

 important duties will bring to them further encomium, and to their 

 profession some reflected glory. 



The most important development that has taken place in 

 connexion with veterinary science in Australasia has undoubtedly 

 been the establishment of Veterinary Schools by the Universities 

 o^" Melbourne and Sydney. With reference to the development of 

 the Melbourne Veterinary School, I am indebted to Dr. Cameron 

 for the following information, i.e., " Soon after the passage of the 

 Victorian Veterinary Surgeons Act, in which he was a prime 

 mover, Mr. W. T. Kendall (now Dr. Kendall) established the 

 Melbourne Veterinary College at his business premises in Bruns- 

 wick-street, Fitzroy, during 1888. The curriculum of the College 

 extended over four years, and on opening the staff comprised, in 

 addition to Mr. Kendall, M.E.C.V.S., Professor J. F. McBride, 

 M.R.C.V.S., who recently relinquished a nine years' engagement 

 with the Government of Japan, during which he established and 

 conducted the Tokio Veterinary School; Mr. A. Goule, 



