VETERINARY TOPICS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5306, 30 July 1928, Page 4

VETERINARY TOPICS.

LECTURE TO FARMERS. MR. COSTELLO AT NETHERTON. An address on sundry veterinary topics was given to Netherton farmers by Mr J. Costello, the Farmers’ Veterinary Club’s surgeon, on Fr’day evening. Mr C. W. Schultz, president of the club, presided, and there were about 40 farmers presenjt. In opening, Mr Costello explainiejd that unden his conditions of appointment he was to give a lecture' to farmers once in egch district every three months. This had not been done, but it was hop'®d to do more in the future. The club was unique in being the only one in existence, in the North Island and for having existed for, six years. It was making sound progress, and membership was steadily increasing.

Mr Costello dealt at length with difficulties at calving time, paraphrenitis of the brain, eps's, lupus in swine, retention, and garget,, and then answered numlOrous questions. In dealing with garget Mr Costello said that there was no .discovered remedy by inoculation, apd so far he had not s.e&n, any case of any farmer having received any benefit froim the use of vaccine'. He was not against researen, but he was adversje to seeing farmers being asked to pay big sums for unproved remedi'es. Dealing with club details, Mr Schultz said that so far, thfe committee had not yet found it necessary to limit the membership, it was steadily increasing, and now' stood a,t 107It was considered 1 that 120 members could easily be attended'by the surgeon. Great assistance could be given the surgeon by bringing sick-animals to the front of the- fa.rm. If this was done, in all cases the surgeon could deal with a greater membership. The' surgeon had been given very strict orders 'not to treat the stock of a farmer until a membership fohm had beeii signed and membership had been accepted by the committee. This rule had been forded on thfe. committee, and in the interests of the faithful members it had to be rigidly enfotelrtlIn reply to a question Mr Schultz stated that no satisfactory method could be evolved for making a smaller membership fee for fanners with very small herds. A large number of cows did not imply a largfc amount of attention, and,, after all, ‘ the annual membership fee of £5 wa.s only half the cost of one cow. At the present time the club had cash in hand, c'ontinued the speaker, but this was becau s e' great efforts had just been made to collect all moneys due. The club was, a co-ople,native; concern, and when it was realised that it took the. membership fees of over 100 members to pay the salaries, an.d that drugs were; sold at cost price; it was obvious that prompt payment was desired.

Mr J. Wakeham moved a. vote of thanks to Mr Costello aavd the members of the executive committee' for .visiting -Netherton and giving such valuable information. .

This was carried by acclamation, and several new members were ehrollel.