IMPORTATION OF DISEASED CATTLE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 455, 29 November 1875, Page 3

IMPORTATION OF DISEASED CATTLE.

A deputation from the Taieri Agricultural Society waited on his Honor the Superintendent of Otago on the 24th mat, to request the Provincial Government of Otago to take steps to present the introduction of foot and mouth disease into that province. The following report taken from the Daily Times of what took place may interest some of our readers: The deputation presented the following memorial : " That, according to the most recent advices from Britain, foot and mouth disease in cattle, sheep, and swine, is extremely prevalent there, especially in England and Ireland. That the introduction of a disease of so highly contagious and infectious a character amongst the cattle and sheep of the province would be most disastrous, and prove ruinous to both classes of stockowners. That, so far as your memorialists are aware, there does not exist any restriction to the importation into the colony of either class of stock from Britain or other part of Europe; and in their opinion so large and important interests at stake require that the most strin?ent measures should be adopted, without delay, to prevent the introduction of this as well as of any form of cattle disease into the province. That your memorialists, while fully alive to the importance of giving every facility and encouragement to the introduction of animals from the home country calculated to improve the stock in the colony, and earnestly desirous that no obstacles of a trifling character should be placed in the way of importers, yet feel that, in the interests of importers themselves, who are for the most part large stockowners in the province, it is necessary, under present circumstances, for the Government to adopt such measures at once as would reduce the risk of the introduction of disease to a minimum. May it therefore please your Honor and Executive Council to take the premises into your favorable consideration, and to adopt such measures as may be best fitted to accomplish the object." ftlr Shand said the society did not wish to stop the importation of cattle altogether, but they thought steps should be taken to place imported cattle in quarantine for a certain time.

The Superintendent said he was very glad the deputation had waited upon him in order to give him the benefit of their opinions, because a meeting of the Cattle Board was to be held that day to deal with a shipment of cattle on board the ship Canterbury. He might mention that the deputation were mistaken in supposing that the Provincial Government had any power in the matter. The power was really in the hands of the Cattle Board, which was appointed by Colonial Statute} and by the Governor. There were

five members on the Board, but he was not able to get a quorum nf two members besides the chairman. He thought, however, that he would be able to get a quorum to day. He was desirous of having Mr D. Reid 'ippointed a member of the Board in the place of Mr To'raie ; but he could not be gazetted until the Governor reached Wellington. The great difficulty experienced was in finding a place where the .cattle could be put. There were £9OOO or £IO,OOO worth of stock on board the Canterbury, and the difficulty was to find a place where they could be quarantined. Of eourgo, the quarantining would involve considerable expense, and wl.ore the money was to com' from he*did not kno.v. However, when the Cattle Board met. they must hit upon some practical expedieut. A- oats tune he took it upou himself as chairman of the Hoard to communicate with the owners of stock— Messrs Russell, Uitchie, and Co—with a view to having the stock quarantined upon their own property at Moeraki, under proper supervision. They declined that proposal, however, and put it upon the Hoard to find a quarantine ground Jt was just a question in his mind how far cattle, sheep, and horses differed from human beings. If all the passengers on board an immigrant ship were healthy they would never think of placing the ship in quarantine because there was disease at home.

Mr Allan said that in the opinion of veterinary surgeons here it was necessary to keep the cattle in quarantine for three months at least. The disease had been known to break out after a much longer period than three months. Mr Shand suggested that possibly the Agricultural Society had not sufficient information before them to form a correct opinion; but possibly the Cattle Board might be in a position to make inquiries. The Superintendent said the Board had before them reports from veterinary surgeons stating that the stock were perfectly healthy. The expense of quarantining would be enoTtnous, but of course that would be nothing compared with the loss that would be caused by the introduction of the disease. What complicated the matter was that there were a number of shipments of cattle on their way from home to the province. Mr Allan said he believed the general opinion was that whatever might be the expense incurred by the Government, the introduction of the disease should be prevented.

The Superintendent said he had asked the cattle inspector to look about for an available spot in the neighbourhood of the harbor where the cattle could be placed, so that there would be no chance of their mixing with other cattle. He expected to have a report from the inspector that day. He could assure the deputation that the Cattle Board was fully alive to the importance of the matter. Mr Allan said another matter which might be mentioned was the prevalence of the head disease amongst horses in Australia. No doubt the importation of that disease from Australia should also be guarded against.

The Superintendent said he would like to get the opinion of the deputation with regard to the advisability of prohibiting the importation of stock altogether. Of course that would not stop the cattle now on their way 10 tli<! province, Mr Charters t-aid that wouli -m-ei l-l views exactly. He had had a/oml d< al <> do with this disease at home, and b< kni'w of cases which had broken out amongst cattle after ten or twelve months' isolation. If the d sease broke out here, it would ruin almost every stock owner in Otago. At home cattle and sheep were quiet, as a rule, and could be doctored ; but here the case was quite the reverse, and it would be almost impossible to cope with the disease. One thing which had occurred to him was that the disease might be spread by the men who took charge of the cattle during the voyage from home. These men had gone into the country, and there was now no chance of stopping them. From an article which he had read in the London Timrs there would be no aoubt as to the prevalence of the disease at home.

The Superintendent—As he had said before, he expected that Mr Reid would be gazetted a member of the Board shortly, and it would then consist of the Hon Mr Holmes, Messrs John M'Lean, J. Smith, Reid, and himself. Part of the cattle at Port Chalmers were for the province of Canterbury, and the Cattle Board of that province had been communicated with as to whether they would have the Canterbury portion of the cattle transhipped. They wrote back, stating that they wished to have the cattle quarantined here, and they promised to do the same with regard to any cuttle for Otago which might arrive in Canterbury from home He thought the true remedy would be to stop the importation of cattle altogether, and to make the best of those cattle now on their way to the province. The prohibition could be telegraphed home at once. The deputation then withdrew.

MEETING OF THE CATTLE BOARD. During the afternoon a meeting of the Cattle Board was held, at which his Honor the Superintendent and Mr John M'Lean were present. Correspondence with Messrs Russell, Ritchie, and Co, with the Canterbury Cattle Board, and a memorial from the Taieri Agricultural Society relative to the landing of the stock now on board the ship Canterbury having been read, it was resolved —" That, as regards that portion of the said stock proposed to be landed here, the same be placed in quarantine on the New Zealand and Australian Company's property at Moeraki, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the chairman's letter to Messrs Russell, Ritchie, and Co, of date November 19th, and in the event of the company failing to concur in this arrangement, said stock to be landed on the reserve opposite Quarantine Island. In either case, the quarantine to extend over three months, unless the Board shall hereafter see fit to diminish the term, all expenses to be borne by the owners of stock, as provided by section 9, Diseased Cattle Act Amendment Act, 1873. Resolved, further, that a special meeting of all the members of the Board be summoned for Wednesday, Ist December, at 12 o'clock, to consider as to the expediency of taking steps to stop for a time the importation of live stock from Europe."