702 PROCEEDINGS OP SECTION K. 



Recenty two new veterinary services have been created in the 

 Commonwealth — one in connexion with the Department of 

 Customs, and the other attached to the Defence Department. 

 The former is the outcome of the universal acknowledgment of 

 veterinary certification as a guarantee of the wholesomeness of 

 anim.al food for human consumption ; and the present staff comprises 

 twelve members, one of whom is stationed in London, and the 

 others at the various places of export authorized under the 

 Commerce Act within the Commonv/ealth. Although for some 

 years past there has existed a Militia veterinary service, the 

 importance of this service in connexion with defence operations 

 has only been properly realized within the last year or so, when 

 a permanent staff was established and five appointments made. 

 Both these new services are capable of considerable expansion, 

 and, as they develop, will no doubt absorb a number of qualified 

 men. 



While we as a profession can justly claim to be of good service 

 to our country in furthering its commercial and agricultiiral pros- 

 perity, it must be remembered that our responsibilities as 

 individual members do not end there, as it is the duty of each 

 of us to our fellow men to be good and useful citizens. It is 

 well known that many of our members have so concentrated their 

 minds upon matters veterinary that activities outside the pro- 

 fession have largely lost their fascination. A similar apathy 

 towards public affairs has been observed to exist in other countries, 

 where it has been attributed to the relative isolated position of 

 many of the veterinary schools, which it is thought tends to 

 restrict the expansion of the mind to matters solely of professional 

 interest. Be this as it may, there undoubtedly exists a disinclina- 

 tion on the part of our members to become public men. There 

 are many avenues of public life where the veterinarian is well 

 qualified to enter and perform public service of high order, yet 

 we seem to hesitate, notwithstanding the good example shown us 

 by the medical profession. This is a matter that will, no doubt, 

 be rectified in course of time. 



In conclusion, a few words in respect of the advisability of 

 co-operation might be in season. To individual effort is largely 

 due the progress we have made in the past; how much greater our 

 advancement would have been had co-operate effort existed, one 

 can only speculate. We in New South Wales realized, after the 

 resuscitation of the Veterinary Association, the opportunities we 

 had lost during recent years through not being united and 

 existing as an organized body; an experience that impels one to 

 strongly advocate the establishment of similar associations in each 

 State of the Commonwealth and throughout the Dominion of New 

 Zealand, not only to further the interests of the profession, but 

 to give a direct impetus to scientific advancement, the necessity 

 for which our presence here to-day bears testimony. 



