CO885-(18-19) — Page 89

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.88

885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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are about 2,000 goats in Malta (nothing is said about Gozo) which are constantly passing micrococcus melitensis in their milk. Assuming this statement to be correct, and if all the animals were to be slaughtered in accordance with the recommenda- tions of the sub-committee of the Executive Council, the cost would be £1,000 (2,000) x 10s.) There would still remain 40 per cent. of the total number, or 8,000 goats, which are said to be infected, but not actually excreting micrococcus melitensis in Hitherto no curative their milk, and the question is how to deal with these animals. process has been discovered, and it has not even been established that a goat once If these 8,000 goats were infected can recover and become perfectly healthy. slaughtered, the cost would be £4,000; if they were kept under observation, and eventually returned to their owners, the Government would have to pay compensa- tion at the rate of either 4d. or 8d. per head per diem (10s. or £1 per month)—vide paragraph 12 (b) of the sub-committee's report--which might amount to a very large sum. In fact, it might be cheaper to slaughter all the infected goats in the

island at once.

13. Again, assuming that all the infected animals have been got rid of, there is nothing at present to show that other animals will not afterwards become infected, as the reports of the Mediterranean Fever Commission are not conclusive on this point.

14. With reference to the suggestion of the Committee of the Royal Society that a large dairy or depot should be established, under Government control, for the supply of milk to Valletta and the suburbs, it may be observed that one dairy or depot would not be sufficient, and that if several dairies were established, the cost of inspection would be considerable.

15. The difficulties connected with local tradition and sentiment would arise in connection with the proposal of the Committee of the Royal Society to exclude goats from Valletta and other towns. There are very few cows in Malta, and the bulk of the population depend on the goat for their milk supply. They have been accustomed for many years probably for centuries-to have the goats brought to their doors and milked in their presence, which they regard as a guarantee that they will get pure milk. The addition of a good deal of street mud in wet weather, from the udders of the goat and the hands of its owner, is a matter about which they do not greatly concern themselves.

16. Not only the poorer classes but even the better class Maltese cling tena- ciously to this custom, partly for the reason given above, and partly, no doubt. because it is an old custom and they are very conservative. The goat-owners are also strongly influenced in favour of this custom by the fact that the goat conveys the milk in its udders to the doors of the consumers. The exclusion of goats from the towns, and the establishment of dairies or depots outside would, therefore, 'put the Government, the goat-owner, and the consumer to extra expense.

17. It is, of course, obvious that the presence of large herds of goats in the towns must pollute the streets, and their exclusion is a sanitary reform which must come sooner or later, quite independently of the question whether the goats are infected with Mediterranean fever or not. The first object of the Government is, however, to get rid of the infected animals, and in doing so it is desirable, if possible, to have the goat-owners acting with the Government instead of against it. For this reason I am of opinion that hasty measures are to be deprecated, and I venture to suggest that the system described in paragraphs 8 and 9 of this despatch might be allowed to remain in force, at all events until it is seen whether it has any effect in diminishing the number of cases of Mediterranean fever among the civil popula- tion. Should this not be the case, there would be good grounds for adopting more drastic measures.

SIR,

I have, &c.,

HARRY BARRON,

Major-General,

Officer Administering the Government.

Enclosure 2 in No. 122.

Crown Advocate's Office, September 15, 1906.

WE, the undersigned, having been appointed by His Excellency the Governor in Council (Executive Council decision of 14th May, 1906, on "Medical/1626/06 ") to be a sub-committee of the Executive Council to consider the steps to be taken for

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isolating at the lazaretto, and, when necessary, destroying infected goats, and what compensation, if any, should be paid to the owners of the goats, liave the honour to submit the following joint report.

2. The sub-committee is of opinion that when, on analysis, the milk of any goat is found to re-act to the micrococcus melitensis, such goat is to be considered as suspected of being infected and should be removed to the lazaretto, there to be kept in isolation and under observation, under the charge of an experienced caretaker. The period during which a goat may have to be kept under observation varies from 8 to 12 days.

3. The recommendation that goats should be placed at the lazaretto under the care of a person skilled in the goat trade tends to obviate one of the alleged grievances of the milkmen, that goats are not properly looked after at the lazaretto.

4. The power to order the removal to the lazaretto and the isolation of diseased goats may be exercised under Articles 82, 83, and 81 of the Third Sanitary Ordinance (No. III. of 1901), and under Article 92 of the Police Laws, and 1 of Ordinance No. 1 of 1875.

5. Should, during the period of observation, the milk prove to be infected with the micrococcus melitensis, the animal should be slaughtered.

6. Power to kill animals affected with an infectious disease is given under Article 2 of Ordinance No. 1 of 1875.

7. When any such animal is slaughtered, the owner should be allowed to dispose of the carcase as meat, and should receive compensation at the rate hereunder stated.

8. Should any goat kept under observation be found to be free from disease, the owner should receive compensation for the loss sustained by the detention of the goat at the lazaretto. The proposed rates of compensation are given below.

9. We have ascertained that a goat, when slaughtered, fetches from 15s. to 20s., and that a dry goat, which may become a mikch goat after five months' prog- nancy, costs from 23s. to 25s.

10. We have also ascertained from experts that the daily yield of an ordinary goat is about 5 pints of milk (10 “terzi "). Few goats yield more, and many less.

11. The contract price of milk supplied to the charitable institutions is 13d. per pint, except in the case of Santo Spirito Hospital, where the milk is supplied at the rate of 14d. per pint; the value, therefore, of the daily yield of a goat varies from 64d. to 83d. We have further ascertained that the maintenance of a goat costs about 4d. per day.

12. Taking these data as a basis for our calculations, we are of opinion that the following rates of compensation should be fixed:

(a) When the goat is slaughtered, the compensation should be 10s., which amount is calculated to represent the difference between the proceeds of the sale of a slaughtered goat (15s.) and the price of a dry goat (25s.);

(b) When the goat is returned to the owner as free from disease after detention in the lazaretto, the compensation should be-(1) 4d. a day, equivalent to the difference between the cost of the daily maintenance of a goat (4d.) and the value of the daily yield of milk (8d.), if the goat is kept at the lazaretto at Government expense; and (2) Ed. a day. if the owner chooses to continue to maintain the goat at the lazaretto at his own expense.

We have, &c.,

His Honour

The Lieutenant-Governor

and Chief Secretary to Government.

Enclosure 3 in No. 122.

V. FRENDO Azzopardi, R. MICALLEF,

G. CARUANA SCICLUNA.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE INFORMATION OF HIS HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR.

1. The elimination of milch-animals infected with Mediterranean fever from

our herds is, thanks to the work of the Mediterranean Fever Commission, a very clear problem which requires only time and a continuous effort for its solution.