The Oamaru Times, AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1864.

North Otago Times, Volume II, Issue 28, 1 September 1864, Page 2

The Oamaru Times, AND WAITAKI REPORTER. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1864.

Hitherto the Oamaru district has fortunately been free from the invasion of pleuropneumonia. The settlers in this quarter have contributed large sums for the payment of rangers to \\atch the boundary of the infected district; and the Anti-Pleuro-Pneumonia Association have for gome time engaged the services of a local inspector to give heedful examination to cattle, by which means we have been so foitunateas to prevent infected animals from straying or being brought into the district. Unfortunately, of late, the sinews of war have been wanting, and the Committee of the Association has consequently resigned, complaining, with much reason, that support has been denied them from the adjoining teiiitorirs, which are nearer the infected distiict; from those in this district itself, who are best able to contribute ; and from others, who, at one time, promised pecuniary aid, but afterwards failed to fulfil their engagements. The meeting held on 17th May last considered the best means to be adopted for confining the disease to dishictsnow proclaimed infected, and resolved to memorialize the Superintendent to appoint an inspector to watch the boundary. Mr Home was subsequently engaged by the Association itself, which has kept him on up to this time, but is now compelled to dissohe itself, and dispense with his services for want of funds. Jliit still the important fact remains that the district is not infected. The report of Mr Logic, Chief Inspector, published in another column, referring to the Piovince generally, has excited considerable sensation throughout the country. Ilis conclusion from present premises is, that " consdering the rambling nature of imported " cattle, which, in cold weather, are constantly on " the move ; and the great difficulty of keeping " people from shifting their cattle from one part " of the country to another, quite irrespective of " all restrictions, it seems absurd to shut up in a " diseased district large numbers of sound cattle " that have never been otherwise, while hundreds " of infected are allowed to ramble over the Pro- " vince without check. I would strongly recom - " mend the Government to throw optn the whole " country ; let Pounds be established in central " positions in each district, where stragglers may « 4 be impounded, so that their owners might have " an opportunity of getting them ; and it would " help to prevent disease frora spreading so " rapidly through the Province." The Inspector's recommendation is a very extraordinary one, amounting to this:— Because some of the present restrictions are disregarded or not enforced, remove all restrictions whatever, set aside entirely the "Diseased Cattle Ordinance, «• 1861;" and throw open the whole uninfected districts to diseased cattle. This course, instead of preventing dinease spreading, appears to he the very way to spread the disease thoroughly throughout the Province. Mr Logic should reflect that there are districts in which as yet there is no such disease, and consider the effect that his

advice would have upon them. This would be a worse injustice than to proclaim a district infected which is not so. In fact, this throwing open would be equivalent to declaring the districts all alike infected, putting- them on all precisely the same footing, alloAving the cattle to wander where they choose, authorising the transference of diseased cattle from an infected to an uninfected district, and upsetting completely all present well-considered arrangements. But the Government is bound to protect the uninfected districts; and the Ordinance of 1861 is'•till in force, and must remain so, unless formally repealed. Not only is the Government bound by pledges—as noticed in Mr Gleeson's letter to the Superintendent, published in another column — not to declare any district infected which has not been proved to be so ; but it cannot, upon any recommendation, set aside the special Ortli-j nance until, at least, it shall ha\e been reconsidered by the Provincial Council. Nor do we think that any sweeping change will be attempted until the matter is deliberately considered. The Council meets on Ist October, and this subject is of so much importance that it will probably be brought forward early in the session. Mr Gleeson's letter forcibly shows that the position of this district is such that, whereas it is at present free from the distemper, it is easy to keep it so:—"Being completely isolated from "the other parts of the Province where the " disease exists by the IIor«?e Range and Kakanui " Mountains, extending to the Lindis Pas*, there " can be no reason, with ordinary care, why it " should Rot be kept free from disease foi all time " coming, by the employment of rangers at the " Lindis Pass, such as those now employed at the " Horse Range." This, to our mind, not only points out to the district the means for effectually shutting out the distemper, but proves also the injustice which would be entailed by "'throwing " open the whole countn," as Mr Logic cxpies-es it; and placing a distiict >\ holly uninfected, and capable of being so maintained, in the same position as those districts already unhappily suffeiing from the disease termed, in the Ordinance referred to, " a fatal and infectious disease." But Mr Logic, in his perfectly original suggestion, proposes to let loose this disease over the whole Province. Because the law has been in some cases disregarded, he would abrogate it altogether. The declared infected districts have hitherto been quarantine grounds for confining the infected cattle if possible, and prohibiting them from intercourse with the more favored districts. Quarantine, we always supposed, was well-proved and ascertained method of preventing the spread of infectious maladies ; but accoiding to Mr Logic, if the quarantine restrictions should be found not stiict enough, the best way is to abolish the restrictions entirely, and let the plague - smitten tVavel about at their will. This is his method of cutting the gordian knot. The effect would be to lower the price of meat, says one authority ; we say, rather to destroy public confidence cntiicly in the soundness of meat, and to ruin the trade. That the disease is contagious no doubt can be entertained. Ro far back as 18.34, the French Government instituted a Commission on the subject, comprising the most eminent veteiinarians and agiicultuiists in the kingdom, who pronounced it so. Their report saj s aKo, that "in proportion as the animals aie cicely packed "in a confined space, will the stock most ieasily "take the disease." Our sapient- Inspector, however, holds a different opinion. lie wishes Pounds to be established in ccntial positions, in such districts where the stragglers may be impounded. Those are tbe very places whcie the sound and unsound would be " closely packed in "a confined space." Thus, say the French savans, will they most readily take the disease. This, says Mr Logic, " would prevent disease from " spreading so rapidly through the Province !" Our infected cattle cannot possibly be more unsound than Mr Logic's views are? it is to be hoped that they may not also prove contagious.