No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 421 



If any disease, however, not given in the act should ap- 

 pear among the animals of the State, and seem to be of a 

 communicable character, the Board would feel it its duty to 

 act in such an emergency if the public good required it. 



For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act 

 the Legislature appropriated the sum of $75,000 ; but it has 

 been found possible to administer the law at an expense of 

 about half this amount. This being the case, the commis- 

 sion has asked that a less sum, $50,000, be placed at its dis- 

 posal another year as suflScient to meet any expenses that 

 may be caused by the provisions of the act. 



It is to be hoped that the law is now placed upon a satis- 

 factory basis, and that, if the work of controlling contagious 

 animal diseases is to be permanent (as it should be, and has 

 been in Massachusetts for forty years), the Cattle Commis- 

 sion will have a sufficient annual appropriation to meet the 

 expenses required by the law made early in the legislative 

 session, instead of having to wait four or five months every 

 year before any funds are available to even pay the clerks 

 who are necessary for attending to the business of the office. 

 While the expenses of the law are largely due to the cost 

 of that portion of the work entailed upon it by the effort to 

 suppress bovine tuberculosis, this Board must not be looked 

 upon as nothing more than a tuberculosis commission ; for, 

 while the expense is largely caused by tuberculosis, the 

 State paying full appraised value for tuberculous cattle up 

 to a limit not exceeding $40, and tuberculosis among cattle 

 being the most prevalent of the contagious animal diseases 

 which we at present have to deal with, yet, because the 

 cost of dealing with glanders and rabies is less, these dis- 

 eases should not be looked upon as less important or less 

 dangerous. 



Every city and toAvn was formerly required to appoint 

 one or more inspectors of "animals and provisions," who, 

 besides examining animals for contagious diseases, had to 

 inspect markets, and animals at the time of slaughter either 

 at slaughter houses or on the owners' premises, the Board 

 of Cattle Commissioners receivino; the returns of slaughtered 

 animals from the inspectors on blanks furnished from its 

 office. It also had to furnish blanks for applications for and 



