[Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911.

  • Great Britain. [Royal] Commission on the Irish Milk Supply.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: [Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    759/1108 (page 321)
    Mr. C. P. Hynes, 15th Jul]/, 1912i, who TPHv the calves on tlic natural system. Each cow rears two calves for five months. 25966. You mentioned twenty per cent, as the pror portion of tuberculous animals, do you mean by this clinical cases, or does it include all the cases?—I would s:.iy that thirty-five per cent, would cover all tlie usual <'ases, both clinical and those that are tested by tuber- culin. If we includ.> lumps and some various other forms ni tuberculosis, the percentage might be a little more. 25037. ]\liss McNeill.—Thirty-five per cent, is rather lower than what we were told existed in other places, and where we were told it was very much more. In- cluding all forms of tuberculosis, how much would you say the percentage would be?—^Perhaps five per cent, more. I shoiild say that thirty-five per cent, was a fair average. 25968. The Chaibman.—Don't you think it would be a very good thing if the Ord?r was niade to operate effectively in the district?—Yes. . 25969. Have you formed any opinion as to what in- ducements M'Ould secure the co-operation of the far- mers for the purpose of stamping out this disease?— If you make a certain number of recommendations they will carry them out, though they may be slow. 25970. Do you know anything about the way in which creamery managers carry out measures to pre- vent the spread of tuberculosis; do they accept milk from everybody who sends it?—I do not know that. 25971. Did you ever hear of a creamery manager reporting that milk was coming from an infected place or that it was not delivered in an unsatisfactory whv? —I have not heard of it. 25972. Did you ever hoar it stated that creameries were a means of spreading bovine bacilli?—I have heard it, but I do not know that there is much in it. 25973. Don't you think that if the milk of cows suffering from tuberculosis be sent to creameries, it would be a source of danger and infection?—It would depend on the udders being infected. 25974. Can you say how far preventive measures are taken at creameries to see that milk is delivered in a clean condition?—I could not say really. I was only a short time in the position and could not do very much. They should see that the milk is delivered in clean vessels. 25975. If there is infection amongst the cows and all the milk goes to the creamery, and the young stock are reared on the creamery separated milk, then there must be all the conditions'present for the spread of tuber- culosis?—Yes. 25976. There is first the law of heredity and next there are the unhealtliy conditions?—Yes. 25977. Lady Evekakd.—On Saturday, we heard that forty per cent, of the cattle in part of the County Kil- kenny suffered from tuberculosis?—Probably these were not all clinical eases. 2.>078. The Chairman.—Including all cases?—I don't suppose it would be far out, I am sorry to say. 25979. Lady Eveeard.—Do they require the pre- mium bulls to pass the tuberculin test here?—Yes. 25980. The Chairman.—Did this bull that you have^ told us of pass the test?—They bought him with a cer- tificate that he was free from tubercular disease. 25981. Was there any tuberculosis amongst the cowa previous to this?—There had been. That is the rea- son I am carrying out the present test. When the bull was found infected, they became rather alarmed and decided to test the whole herd. I am applying the test in two lots, as they wanted the milk and did not want to lose all the milk at one time. First I shall apply the test to fifty and then I am to apply it to thirty. The percentage of those re-acting I am afraid will work out very large; and this is one of the best cared and looked after herds in the country. The people who own it go in for careful dairying, milking machine, etc. When I have the test completed I would be glad to send you the result privately if it would be any help. 25982. Thank you, we should be very glad to have it?—I may mention that some farmers carry on their dairj'ing rather uneconomically. If a cow happens to lose a pap they keep it still in the dairy. Of course that is not economically sound managemeilt. Miss G. Poer-O'Shee examinod. 25983. The Chairman.—Miss O'Shee, are you in- terested in portion of the Kilmacthomas Union?—Yes. I am a member of the Rural District Council and chair- man of the Board of Guardians. 25984. We have had some evidence from Mr. Hynes as to his appointment as Inspector under the Dairies and Cowsheds Order in the Kilmacthomas Union, and the inference is that there has not been much done in that district by the local authority to have the Order effectively administered?—Mr. Hynes was appointed at- a very low salary, much lower than I believed at the time the work could be done effectively for; but the Board decided to start the working of the Order at that salary. The Board discussed that question of salary very much, and were slow to give a large salary, con- sidering the amount of the rates already, and that they are paying £65 a year through the County Council to a Veterinary Inspector under the Contagious Dis- eases of Animals Act. 25985. Was it for the purpose of evading the Order that they appointed a man at a salary for which they should know the work could not be efficiently done?— I would not say that. They did not want to evade the f)rder, l)ut to get it made efficient first. 25986. Of course, this is a big district, and a very small salary was fixed?—Well, some were against making the appointment for that reason. 25987. The Inspector appointed is bound to make reports to the Council?—He does report. 25988. What was done with the reports—thrown into 2 the waste-paper basket?—Oh, they were not put into the waste-paper basket. I saw some dozens—months old—yesterday. 25989. Did they lead to any action on the part of the Council?—No. 25990. No prosecution for breaches of the Order?—• I don't think there were any breaches reported to us. 25991. This appointment extended over eight months; reports wei'e sent in, and no action was takeii by the Council to enforce the Order?—Well, my Council was opposed to the Order as not a practical Order; therefore we were strongly opposed to increased rates. We did not object to the tax already paid through the County Council under the Contagious Dis-; eases of Animals Act, but we were opposed to further taxation to carry out this Order; and many members believed it would be better to leave it alone than to only half do the thing. I have just made a few notes in writing, and if you allow me to read them I can hand them in afterwards. 25992. Certainly. Will you tell us whether there is a scarcity of milk in your district, and, if so, at what season of the year?—There is great scarcity, especially in winter, when it is practically not procurable for love or money, except from gentlemen's places, where it is sold at the old price of twopence per quart all the year round. With reference to the Dairy and Cow- sheds Order, the Kilmacthomas District Council passed the following resolution last December :— To ask the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture and Tecimieal Instruction for Ireland to S