550 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Finance. 



Prior to the passage of the law of 1894, the law under which 

 this commission had been operating was so unsatisfactory that 

 little could be done. With the passage of the law of 1894 the 

 work became enormously increased. The appropriation for 

 that year was $35,000. Of this sum there had been expended 

 prior to June 20, $13,000, leaving a balance of $22,000 on 

 hand at the time when the law of 1894 was passed. Early in 

 February, 1895, the Legislature appropriated $50,000 for the 

 immediate use of this commission, that the work might be con- 

 tinued until such time as final legislation could be obtained. 

 Prior to the passage of the law of 1895, obligations had been 

 contracted under the law of 1894 up to June 5, 1895, to the 

 amount of $91,876, leaving a balance unprovided for of $19,876, 

 which had to be taken from the appropriation of $100,000 made 

 under the law of 1895, which left a balance of only $80,124 to 

 be expended under the new act. 



In regard to the item of $19,876 in excess of the available 

 appropriation of $72,000, above referred to, the commission 

 desires to state that under the law it is impossible at any given 

 moment to know just what the obligations of the commission 

 are, because the inspectors throughout the State, who are inde- 

 pendent public officers, are, under the provisions of the law, 

 taking steps which ultimately must create a liability on the part 

 of the State calling for the action of this commission, involv- 

 ing additional expense ; and, further, that the returns of ex- 

 penses and numbers of claims come in frequently long after the 

 time when the animal was killed, and the obligation is techni- 

 cally incorrect. 



Of the $91,876 expended under the law of 1894, $44,376 

 was for administrative expenses ; $47,500 was returned directly 

 to the owners of cattle destroyed as tuberculous, upon the basis 

 of one-half sound value of animals destroyed, — an average price, 

 therefore, of $21 per head ; so that the expense of examining 

 all animals reported as being suspicious, conducting the exami- 

 nation of a large number of cattle every week at Brighton, as 

 well as that inseparably connected with the inauguration of a 

 new and very large plant, such as buying the necessary appa- 

 ratus, fitting up quarantine stations, preparation of forms, print- 



