APPENDIX C. REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR OF LIVE STOCK AND DAIRY FARMS. AUGUST 19, 1906. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report on the inspection of live stock and dairy farms, based on the individual reports of Drs. J. P. Turner, R. R. Ashworth, H. S. Drake, J. Rome, and H. Young, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906: Number of dairy farms in the District of Columbia. Number of inspections of dairy farms in the District of Columbia Number of inspections of cows on dairy farms in the District of Columbia.. Number of cows condemned as unfit for dairy purposes on dairy farms in the District of Columbia Cause of condemnation: Tuberculosis. Mammitis Number of dairy farms in Virginia shipping milk to the District of Columbia. Number of cows condemned as unfit for dairy purposes on Virginia dairy farms.... 76 Number of cows on dairy farms in Virginia shipping milk to the District of Number of inspections of cows on Virginia dairy farms.. Cause of condemnation: Tuberculosis Mammitis Other causes Number of dairy farms in Maryland shipping milk to the District of Columbia. Number of cows on dairy farms in Maryland shipping milk to the District of Columbia.. Number of inspections of cows on Maryland dairy farms. Number of cows condemned as unfit for dairy purposes on Maryland dairy farms... Total number of inspections of cows Total number of cows condemned as unfit for dairy purposes.. Number of inspections of stock yards and slaughterhouses DAIRY-FARM INSPECTION. 303 13, 254 54, 033 24, 975 4, 937 251 108 36 0 97, 199 1694 Owing to the small force of inspectors and the inadequate appropriation for traveling expenses, dairy-farm inspection has not been as satisfactory as in previous years. Owing to the large number of new shippers from Frederick County, Md., during the past two years, the inspector of this district has not been able to inspect 119 of his farms. The order requiring cream shippers to have permits has doubled the number of farms in this District. It is urgently requested that an additional inspector be located in Frederick County, Md. All travel, save such that could be done with the inspector's horse, ceased four months before the end of the fiscal year, owing to the lack of funds to pay railroad travel and other necessary expenditures. The number of inspectors, their salaries, and traveling expenses have remained stationary for several years, while the number of farms and the territory is increasing rapidly each year. The milk and cream supply of this city, instead of being supplied by local farms (30 miles closer), has now to be supplied from points as far south as Charlottesville, Va., and Fredericksburg, Va., and from the valley of Virginia, and from various sections of Maryland to the Pennsylvania line. A considerable amount of cream is shipped from Hanover and York, Pa., and from Horseheads, N. Y. None of these latter shippers have received any inspection by this office, as well as several points in Hartford and Frederick counties, Md. The work of the dairy farm inspector is becoming more arduous every year. From being practically local officials, their duties call them to distant points, frequently requiring their absence from home for several days from their families. The very poor accommodations and the frequent failure to secure teams to drive to farms distant from the railroads, requiring often a walk of several miles, together with the long hours, hard and dangerous work, while the pay remains below that of the other inspectors of the office, who are always close to the office and their homes, is not calculated to enthuse the ordinary veterinarian, and without enthusiasm and appreciation of his labors by increased financial returns therefor the service is not apt to improve markedly. Another suggestion is that the inspector, from being a mere subaltern in his respective territory, should be given more authority therein and be held strictly accountable for the sanitary condition of the dairy farms in his respective district. This can be accomplished I am convinced by eight years' experience in inspecting dairy farms and knowing the people with whom the inspector has to deal, by giving the inspector absolute authority to suspend permits temporarily until diseased cattle or insanitary conditions are removed from dairy farms. By such a course only can some dairy farmers be required to conduct their farms in the proper spirit of the law. Such a procedure would only have to be invoked once in each neighborhood, and only rarely at that, for the average dairy farmer tries to comply with the law. This action is only for those who, through ignorance, stubbornness, or a false idea of personal importance are continually violating the law and the regulations, and upon whom the serving of notices to abate or correct is of little or no use whatsoever, owing to the fact that their compliance is usually half-hearted and only temporary in character. Typhoid fever appeared on four dairy farms during the year, a single case developing on each of three farms, while five cases occurred on the other farm. In neither case could the origin of the infection be traced to any condition on the farm. The farms were all close to the city, and the patients in all cases were frequent visitors to the city, and in one case the patient worked in town and came home sick with typhoid. On the farm where the five cases developed personal infection due to carelessness occurred. The milk on this farm became infected and several cases developed among those who consumed the milk. ABATTOIR AND STOCK-YARD INSPECTION. Regular inspection has been maintained during the year at the Benning, D. C., abattoir and stock yards. The conditions existing in some of the large western abattoirs, together with the subsequent highly colored newspaper reports thereof have had a very far-reaching effect. The Benning abattoir, good in many respects, has been improved during the year, but is still in need of some changes, which the management assure us will occur. The stock-yard sheds and yards have been greatly improved. It is to be hoped that proper legislation will be secured during the coming session of Congress to regulate importation into and the sale of meat in the District of Columbia. Especially should this law require the stamping of all meats and meat products whereby the consumer will not be required to buy his food by faith alone, but will have an inspection stamp to guide him in his purchases. Slaughtering has practically ceased in all places in the District save at the Benning abattoir, at least so far as concerns cattle and hogs. A few calves and sheep are killed at small houses in the city and suburbs. Some very suspicious meat reaches this city from adjacent points in Maryland and Virginia, where several farmers and some small butchers, driven out of the District by existing sanitary laws, kill cows and small stock at irregular times and market their meat in this city. The facts that the carcasses are usually cut into several pieces and the absence of any viscera preclude their seizure unless the disease (mostly tuberculosis) has advanced to the far state of showing tuberculous growths on the carcass. CONTAGIOUS DISEASES AMONG ANIMALS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Tuberculosis. We always have tuberculosis with us and will continue to have until the tuberculin test is applied to all District herds. and to all animals imported for dairy purposes into the District. Hog cholera.-This disease has not appeared during the year on any of our farms. Rabies. Two cases of rabies were reported during the year. In both cases the diagnosis was proven by the Bureau of Animal Industry. Glanders. Two cases of glanders were reported, both occurring in one stable. The other horses in this stable were tested with mallein and the premises properly disinfected. Pespectfully submitted. (Signed) WM. C. WOODWARD, M. D., JOHN P. TURNER, V. M. D., Inspector of Live Stock and Dairy Farms, District of Columbia. Health Officer, District of Columbia. APPENDIX D. REPORT OF SMOKE INSPECTOR. WASHINGTON, D. C., July 23, 1906. SIR: I have the honor to present the following report of action under the smoke law for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906: A decided improvement in the conditions relative to the smoke nuisance has been attained and continues. This improvement has been accomplished chiefly by the care exercised by the firemen in the proper handling of the various plants, strict personal attention to the furnaces by the firemen, who in some instances heretofore occupied the dual capacity of fireman, janitor, or general utility man; the installation of sufficient boiler capacity, and otherwise by smoke-preventing appliances and change of fuel. An investigation shows that in a majority of the cases where unlawful smoke was emitted, it was due to the carelessness in stoking and tending the fires in the furnaces, and in the remainder of the cases it was due generally to insufficient boiler capacity, necessitating the forcing of the fires The practice of stating the exact time of observation and the unlawful emissions of smoke in the duplicate report, which is transmitted to the owners of plants each day, has been discontinued and instead the duration of the observations and emissions is stated only. This change has assisted very materially in the prosecution of cases. The increase in the amount of fines collected and collaterals forfeited in proportion to the number of prosecutions brought is due to the action of the judge of the police court in imposing higher fines and requiring greater collaterals being deposited. In fact, in cases where the testimony shows the defendant to be a frequent and persistent violator of the law the maximum fine is generally imposed, and this has had a decided effect in reducing the number of the violations of the law. The decrease in the number of violations noted during the year is due chiefly to the earnest endeavors of the persons in charge of the various plants to comply with the law. There was a demand for trial by jury in 34 of the 106 cases referred for prosecution, and for several well known and established reasons |