Excerpt from Fifth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Animal Industry, 1916: For the Year Ending November 30, 1916 In case of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease it is neces sary that prompt measures be taken for its suppression on account of the rapidity with which the contagion spreads. In the recent outbreak which occurred in Massachusetts (1914-15) some delay was occasioned on account of the fact that officials charged with the extermination of contagious diseases among domestic animals had not the authority to take the necessary immediate steps for a systematic control 'of the contagion. Although the Commissioner of Animal Industry has authority to quarantine and kill animals affected with contagious disease, if in his opinion the public good so requires, he has not author ity to kill animals exposed to the disease, or to destroy property on infected premises which in his opinion may be a source of danger. In the extermination of foot-and-mouth disease it becomes necessary to destroy not only the animals affected with the disease, but all those which have been exposed to it, and in the process of complete disinfection of the premises on which the diseased or exposed animals are kept it becomes necessary to destroy other property, such as parts of buildings, hay, grain, fodder, utensils, clothing, etc. N O authority is given by law to the Commissioner of Animal Industry to appoint persons who may appraise live stock and other property the destruction' of which becomes necessary in the suppression of this disease. I therefore desire to recommend to your honorable body the passage of an act giving the Commissioner of Animal Industry authority to order the killing of neat cattle and other. Domestic animals affected with, or which have been exposed to, foot-and-mouth disease. When in his opinion the public good so requires, and also giving him such authority as is necessary to provide for the disposal of carcasses and the disinfection of dis tricts, buildings and places in which the disease has existed, and for the destruction of property which may be contained therein; also the authority to appoint appraisers of live stock and otherproperty the destruction of which may be considered necessary in the extermination of this disease. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.