No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS' EEPORT. 421 



attention not only in this State but by other States, and the 

 policy pursued in this direction has varied considerably. There 

 are, briefly speaking, four solutions of this problem which have 

 been adopted or seriously advanced : — 



J^irM. — The destruction of all animals found actually in- 

 fected, without any appraisal and without the payment of any 

 compensation. 



Second. — The payment to the owner of the actual value of 

 the animal at the time of slaughter, based upon an appraisal 

 which shall take into consideration the existence of the disease 

 and all other elements of value. 



Third. — The payment of one-half apparent or health value 

 of the animal on a limited basis, disreijarding the fact that it is 

 afiected with tuberculosis. 



Fourth. — The payment of the full value of the animal, ascer- 

 tained in the same manner. 



The Board, in order that it may assist as far as possible, 

 your honorable body in arriving- at a conclusion as to which of 

 these methods you will adopt, have endeavored to gather to- 

 gether as much material as was practicable bearing on the 

 subject. This may be divided into three classes : — 



First. — The history of the law in this State on the matter 

 of compensation of animals destroyed as affected with a con- 

 tagious disease. 



Second. — The arguments which are advanced for and against 

 the several propositions. 



Third. — The laws of other States and jurisdictions bearing 

 upon the matter of the suppression of these diseases. 



History of the Law in this State. 



The law of this State on the matter of compensation directly 

 applying to tulwrculosis is extremely recent, for the reason that 

 until 1892 tuberculosis was not treated by the Board of Cattle 

 Commissioners as a contagious disease, and was not specifically 

 included anions; the list of such contaijious diseases under the 

 laws of this Commonwealth. This State, however, has for more 

 than thirty years enacted laws for the purpose of suppressing, 

 from time to time, outbreaks of contagious diseases among the 

 lower animals within its limits. 



The first serious attempt to cope with any such diseases was 



