118 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



PROGRESS OF WORK. 



Doctor MoHLER. Dourine is an infectious disease affectin«r breed- 

 inJLT horses, and is similar to sypliilis in man. Continued i)ro<rress is 

 bein<]: made toward the final elimination of this disease. A new out- 

 break in South Dakota, involving about 2.000 animals, was the most 

 unfavorable development of the year. A considerable number of 

 diseased animals are still found on Indian reservations in Arizona, 

 but even, there the numljer of such animals is bein«r <rradually re- 

 duced. The work in Arizona has not projrressed very rapidly owin«r 

 to the difficulty exjierienced by the Office of Indian Affairs in se:ur- 

 in^r the prom])t slaughter of diseased animals. It is understcxKl 

 that this difficulty was due, in part at least, to insufficient funds to 

 indemnify the Indians owning diseased animals. Out of 14,549 

 horses examined only 243, or 1.6 per cent, were found infected and 

 Vv'ere killed. 



This. Mr. Chairman, you will remember, is the same trouble that 

 occurred last year. It is difficult to <ret the Indians to carry out in- 

 structions from the Office of Indians Affairs. 



Mr. Buchanan. So you just kill them when you find them? 



Doctor MoHLER. Yes, sir. That is the only waj' to stamp out the 

 disease. 



Mr. Buchanan. It is like the kindred disease in the human family? 



Doctor MoHLER. Yes, sir: it is. 



Mr. Buchanan. You can not cure it? 



Doctor Mohler. No. 



Mr. Buchanan. Is there any 606 for horses ? 



Doctor Mohler, Yes;, but these horses are worth only !i^35 or so 

 apiece, and while 606 might probably cure them, it is too expensive. 



Mr. Anderson. Are we goiufr to ^et rid of this finally I 



Doctor Mohler. I expect, Mr. Chairman, that this disease will be 

 entirely cleaned up in two years' time. Last year I said three years, 

 and one year has passed, so I have reduced it to two years. 



Mr. Anderson. You are still insistent? 



Doctor Mohler. Yes, sir. 



construction work at beltsville, md. 



The next item, the one that occurs on page 67, will be discussed by 

 Doctor Larson, regarding the Beltsville dairy barn construction. 



meat inspection. 



The next item is for meat inspection, on page 60. This is the large 

 work of meat inspection that is being carried out by the dejjartment 

 under the 1906 law. There is a proposed decrease next year of 

 $25,000. and we Avill have to absorb that in our overhead. 



NUMUIIR OK CA'lTl.K SI^^VCOHrKKKI). 



•Mr. .V.NDKHsoN. How d<M-^ the shiughtcr this \'.\^\ year cninpati' with 

 I)rior years? 



Doctor Mohler. Th«' shiughter of last year was 1.3 per cent greater 

 than the \car licl'dic. hut t his year the slaughtei- is going to lie gi-catcr 



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