SLAUGHTER OF DAIRY COWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 251, 16 July 1908, Page 3

SLAUGHTER OF DAIRY COWS.

WHAT THE TUBERCULIN TEST REVEALED. ' HOW WOULD IT AFFECT WEL- : LINGTOX? •• A~Press'Association';cablegram from Perth ■•states ; ,the- result: of; an 'application of :the tuberculin: test, wholosalo slaughter ; of cows belonging- to. tho metropolitan dairies took place, v.' 1 • : '. : , . •'. Twenty.were' destroyed. outof twenty-nine . in ono ■ dairy, while m ■ four, -dairies forty- , : two animals were found to bo .unfit to supply ■ milk'-for','human/consumption. :.' ' . It is. estimated/that, it wonld cost £1500' in; compensation to slaughter all the tuberculous . ' cows now being milked for / tho . Wellington ' city, In the ;coiirse of an interview, published in Tire Dominion 011 April 29, an.espert, in advocating the compulsory application : of. tho'tube.rculin': test to New Zealand ■ cows, gavo: some estimates as to tho cost.. Ho considered there were'sooo ; cows being milked for ' Wellington's niilk /supply, and that 500 of these cows were 1 tuberculous (or consumptive).;' These could bo readily detected by the use of tuberculin, and should be slaughtered. The, Government should compensate tho owners. At £3 per animal, the compensation' ■ would amount to,[£lsoo— equal to' a; charge of about 3s. on each householder in Wellington. '. But in return for that 3s. ho. and his ohildreri; would be 'safeguarded against,drinking the • germs;,of consumption in .the , milk . supply. - V\; ; . Tho estimate.that.there are only-500.tuber-culous ..cows ibeing Vmilked for,. is apparently ibelow.ihe . mark./: In a recently' published instance, where ail. up-to-date; dairy farm..was',bwhg established near Wellington city, a quarter of all the cows purchased were found to be tuberculous, ana wero elimiriatcd. On this' , basis .there-'should be 1250 tuberculous cows taking part in Wellington's milk supply. ;/ ; / ■'.;/W >