A HIDDEN MENACE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4329, 12 October 1921, Page 2

A HIDDEN MENACE.

TUBERCULOSIS I INI COWS. EXPERT URGES COMPULSORY TESTING. “ There is no doubt about it that New Zealand would be well advised in the interests of public health to adopt a procedure similar to that in vogue in America in connection with the crusade against tuberculosis,remarked an eminent authority on veterinary matters to a Wellington Dominion representative. “In the United States the medic,al 1 ’fraternity and the veterinary profession are unanimously of the opinion that there is real danger, especially to children, fr.om milk drawn from animals affected with tiiberculosis, and drastic measures are being taken to protect the public in this connection. New Zealand is undoubtedly leaving too much to chance in her endeavour io combat the disease, the efforts of the authorities being on curative rather than preventative lines. “ Speaking with an intimate knowledge of live stock and veterinary matters generally I am firmly convinced that the dairy herd is the fountain-head oi tuberculosis in New Zealand. A start should be made without further delay with the compulsory testing of all cows from which the. milk supply oil our four large cities is drawn. This step would of course' mean that the Government would be up against the old bugbear of compensation, for a rigorous test would at the outset involve the slaughter of many cows.., The issue will nevertheless have to be faced, and should the Government not see its way clear to pay an additional sum by way of compensation to owners of tubercular animals the general public might well consider the question of subscribing a sum! in .order io augment the fund. Surely it would pay the people to subscribe to such a fund, in preference to paying by way of voluntary contributions and hospital board levies to the upkeep of hospitals and general sanatoria that are maintained for. the purpose of curing a disease which is so capable of prevention altogether ? “ Anyhow, the Government should waste no time in bringing down regulations . making testing of milking herds compulsory? and compelling farmers to slaughter all animals afflicted with tuberculosis. Likewise provision should be made for compensating owners, with of course the stipulation that once a milk supplier has got his cattle certified as being free from tuberculosis he is not to introduce into his herd any stock which have not passed the tuberculin test. I may say that this system is working very well in America and there is no reason why it should not be sectionally introduced into New Zealand. To be more explicit, the regulations should fbr a start be put into force at some particular centre or centres with a view £p demonstrating results and their ultimate adoption throughout the whole Dominion. “At present the testing of cows for tuberculosis is not compulsory, and the result is that many farmers are milking diseased cows.. Too often the owners are not aware of the presence of tuberculosis in their herd, as, short Of a test, they have no means of locating the disease in an animal. This state of affairs constitutes a hidden menace to the l health of the community.

“Incidentally, I was interested to read a statement from the acting-sec-retary of the New Zealand Alliance which appeared in a recent issue of The Dominion, suggesting that the mortality reduction in the United States so far as tuberculosis is concerned might be due to prohibition, because the medical fraternity considers that there is an intimate relationship between tuberculosis and alcoholic beverages. Without wishing to entei into any controversy on the point, it is worthy of record that for the' past three or four years America has been pursuing a vigorous policy in stamping out tuberculosis in cattle with satisfactory results; and the authorities over there claim that a substantial reduction of deaths —especially children—due to this disease may be confidently expected.”