518 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Fifth. — Any person violating the provisions of this order will be 

 punished as provided in section 47 of chapter 491 of the Acts of the year 

 1894. 



This order shall take effect upon the seventeenth day of Octo- 

 ber, 1898. Austin Peters, Chairman, 



John M. Parker, Secretary , 

 Maurice O'Connell, 

 Leander F. Herrick, 

 Charles A. Dennen, 



Board of Cattle Commissioners. 



In considering tbe question of compensation, it is of 

 interest to notice tbat most countries give some compensa- 

 tion wbere tuberculous cattle are condemned by the State. 



In Massachusetts it has been the custom to refuse com- 

 pensation when animals die, or are just dying, from this 

 disease ; otherwise, within limits, full compensation has 

 been given. It should be noted, however, that the passage 

 of the law relating to the use of flesh of animals slightly 

 infected with tuberculosis changes the conditions somewhat ; 

 and, while on this subject, it might be of interest to notice 

 that possibly no recent changes in the laws relating to this 

 matter promise to do more to promote an economical and 

 frictionless working of the law than this one, which was 

 advocated in the last annual report and adopted by the 

 Legislature during the past session. 



This modification relating to the use of meat has not been 

 met by any corresponding change in the law relating to 

 compensation. The law might with advantage be altered, 

 so that when an animal is quarantined by the inspector 

 because of physical evidence of tuberculosis, and is con- 

 demned by the Cattle Commission, the owner should receive 

 either full or partial compensation. On the other hand, 

 after being quarantined by the inspector, if, in the opinion 

 of the Board, no physical evidence of tuberculosis is present, 

 the animal should be released ; then, if the owner is dissat- 

 isfied, the animal may be tested, and if found infected it 

 may be killed, the owner to receive the beef value of the 

 carcass. 



It would further seem advisable that in case any ' ' request 

 work," or testing of entire herds upon request of the owner, 



