Letter from the Commissioner of Agriculture to the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture : communicating information on the subject of pleuro-pneumonia among cattle.

  • Le Duc, William Gates, 1823-1917.
Date:
[1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letter from the Commissioner of Agriculture to the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture : communicating information on the subject of pleuro-pneumonia among cattle. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    pent, before taking such steps as will preclude all probability of this country being included in the prohibition .' Clearly, the interest, is too large, and the eft'ed of ad- verse action on the part of the Government of Great Britain upon our farming com- munity would be too disastrous, to justify us in taking any chances in the matter. The regulations now provided by law against the importation of plagues and infectious diseases from abroad are confessedly worthless; and as for the stamping out of such diseases when they do make their appearance, we have absolutely no law that is gen- eral in its Operation. A few of the States have attempted it oil their own account, but mosl of themhave no laws at all upon the subject; and none can be effectual Without the sanction of our general government, lor Congress alone has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and between the several States. It is imperative that early and efficient action be taken by our Congress upon this matter, if we would not have our present lucrative trade in fat cattle and sheep with England seriously crippled. Members of Congress are now at home among the people, and such a pressure ought to be brought to bear upon them as will compel them to act upon this question as soon as they reassemble at Washington. Iii addition to the foregoing, I inclose yon copies of the laws passed by the legislatures of Massachusetts and ]STew York for the suppres- sion and extirpation of the disease during its prevalence in those States, and the rides adopted and enforced by the British Government for the extirpation of this and other contagious diseases among farm animals in its Indian possessions. All of which is respectfully submitted. WM. G. LeDIIO, Commissioner of Agriculture. Hon. A. S. Paddock, Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture, Washington, D. C. MASSACHUSETTS. LUNG FEVER OR PLEURO-PNEUMONIA OF CATTLE. The following act, for the suppression and extirpation of the disease called pleuro-pneumonia among cattle, was passed by the Massachusetts legislature April 4, 1860: AN ACT to provide for the extirpation of tlie disease called pleuro-pneumonia among cattle. Be it enacted, cfc, as follows : Section* 1. The governor is hereby authorized to appoint three commissioners, who shall visit without delay the several places in this commonwealth where the disease, among cattle called pleuro-pneumonia may be known or suspected to exist, and shall have lull power to cause all cattle belonging to the herds in which the disease has ap- peared, or may appear, or which have belonged to such herds since the disease may he known to have existed therein, to be forthwith killed and buried, and the prem- ises where such cattle have been kept cleansed and purified; and to make such order in relation to the further use and occupation of such premises as may seem to them to he necessary to prevent the extension of the disease. Sec. 2. The commissioners shall cause all cattle in the aforesaid herds not appear- ing to be affected by the disease to be appraised, before being killed, at what would have been their fair market value if the disease had not existed ; and the value of the cattle thus appraised shall be allowed and paid out of the treasury of the common- wealth to the owner or owners thereof. SEC. 3. Any person who shall knowingly disregard any lawful order or direction of said commissioners, or who shall sell or otherwise dispose of an animal which he knows, or has good reason to suspect, has been exposed to the aforesaid disease, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars. SEC. 4. The commissioners shall make a full report to the secretary of the hoard of agriculture of their proceedings, and of the result of their observations and inquiries relative to the nature and character of the disease. SEC. 5. The commissioners shall duly certify all allowances made under the second section of this act, and other expenses incurred by them, or under their direction, in