H.—l2

8

Foundling Hospital, 4 proveel to have derived their infection from human sources and 5 from bovine, or 55 per cent. Of a total of 88 children under 5 years of age who died of tuberculosis, 77 proved to have derived their infection from human sources and 11 from bovine, a percentage of 12-5. Of 787 adult cases, 777 were human anei 10 bovine ; 153 cases of children from 5 to 16 years —117 were human and 36 bovine ; 280 cases of children under 5 years —215 were human and 65 bovine, infection." (2.) " Is there any new information as to an efficient method of treatment of contagious abortion in dairy cows 1 " This is dealt with at some length in the publication referred to. No doubt this report is in the hands of your Department. (3.) " What is the latest information as to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in California ? Is the opinion still held that it originated among pigs fed upon garbage removed from a transport ? If not, what is the opinion as to its origin 1 " The authorities in California are still of the opinion that the disease was introeluced into the State from an army transport, the garbage of which was fed to some pigs, and from there the disease spread. As late as the 28th August a request was received by Governor Farrington, of Hawaii, from Governor Richardson, of California, that the quarantine: regulations be readjusted because of the improvement of epidemic conditions on the Pacific coast. At the same date a telegram was received from Secretary Wallace, of the United States Department of Agriculture, stating that he would apppreciate any action that would afford relief to Californian agricultural interests. In regard to those communications, Mr. A. L. C. Atkinson, President of the Commission of Agriculture and Forestry, stated that Hawaii will not risk the introduction of foot-anel-mouth disease in the territory by taking hasty or ill-considered action towards a modification of the embargo against California. He said that while reports from the mainland indicate that the general situation is greatly improved, it is also true that serious outbreaks have been reported, and that the disease has spread to the deer herds in the mountains. Reports show that on the 4th August there was one herd in Los Angeles County in which 178 cattle were infected, and on the 23rd August another herd was found there with twenty cattle, eleven hogs, and five goats infected. In Tuolumne County an infected herd of 800 cattle was reported on the 16th August. Experiments are: being made by placing susceptible animals on areas that were formerly infected, and results from the bringing-back of cattle that have been on summer range among the deer are being closely watche:d. In face of all these facts the Hawaiian authorities are waiting to see how disastrous this phase of the epidemic is going to prove before any radical changes arc made in the regulations. (4.) " What is found to be the best form of treatment for parasitic gastritis in calves ? I regret that I was unable to obtain any definite information on this subject. Section VI of the Conference, under the presidency of Dr. P. J. S. Cramer, was very actively employed, but it was chiefly occupied with matters dealing with the; growth, harvesting, and distribution of rice in the Orient. Subsection Vla, dealing with Forestry in Relation to Agriculture, diel not meet, but I distributed among interested delegates a quantity of literature supplied to me by the Forestry Department e>f New Zealand.

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