HH62/2/RENFRE/61

Transcription

[Page] 60

the dairy-business (with the dairy-maid) to an adjoining farm. In
another, the two cases which occurred were at once removed to hos-
pital, and radical measures of disinfection resorted to. In the third,
in which no milk was sent out (butter only being made), the place
being remote from any hospital, we obtained satisfactory means of
isolation with a special nurse, and left the case under the daily obser-
vation of the medical officer for the parish. In no case was there
any suspicion of any extension of the disease once the cases came
under our observation.


DAIRIES AND DAIRY REGULATIONS.

The farm-steadings in the county, like most things sub-lunary, may
be divided into the three categories of - good, bad, and indifferent. I
am not in a position to make any sweeping generalization with re-
spect to them. There are, approximately, 850 dairies in the county,
and I have inspected minutely but a few of them. I am not able to
report, as in some other districts has been reported, that the whole
of them have been visited and carefully inspected by the sanitary
staff in the course of a couple of months. The energies of the inspec-
tors have been, in the first instance, devoted to the most profitable
field of sanitary labour, the endeavour to arrest the spread of infec-
tious diseases, and, in the next place, in dealing with complaints
of nuisances, and work of the like sort, which has been forced upon
the attention of the Department. The remaining time at the disposal
of the inspectors has been devoted to a slow-moving but thorough-
going inspection of the farm-steadings within their districts, and in
filling up the details of a minute report upon the structure and con-
dition of every farm-steading visited. The severity and repeated
snowfalls of the winter-months, and the shortened days, have, of
course, materially interfered with the progress of the work; but I
hope, by the beginning of May 1892, to have a full report of the
condition of every farm-steading in the county, as when first in-
spected, engrossed in the office Register of Dairies. The policy I
propose to adopt with respect to this matter is to deal only with the
dairies in the category 'bad,' in the first instance, farm-steadings
which every one who saw them would admit to be bad. From what
I have seen I am satisfied that the dairies in this category will suffice
to absorb the energies of the Department for some time to come.
One qualification of this statement of policy is necessary, - where the

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water-supply of any dairy is in default, where it is found to be liable
to contamination, it will be the duty of the Local Authority and the
Health Department to insist upon a sufficient supply of pure water
being provided, at once, in every case. Upon this point, in view of
the dire results recorded under a previous heading in connection with
the Eaglesham outbreak of enteric fever, it is not necessary for me
to enlarge. While, however, it is not difficult, generally, to arrange
for an uncontaminated water supply, there are almost unsurmount-
able difficulties, in some cases, in obtaining what can be designated a
'sufficient' supply - a supply which shall be sufficient in dry
seasons. Already, in co-operation with proprietors who fully re-
cognised the importance of the matter, we have had the greatest
possible difficulty in projecting suitable systems of water-supply.
In the course of the summer, after the most careful consideration
of the circumstances of the county, I drew up a code of "Regulations
for Dairies, Cowsheds and Milkshops," under the Dairy Orders of
1885 and 1886; this draft I subjected to repeated revision before
presentation to the District Committees. The whole matter was very
discussed by the Committees, the draft code, as amended, was finally
adjusted at a joint meeting of the representatives of the two District
Committees. It was a great satisfaction to me that one uniform
code was adopted for the whole county. - I desire to advert to two
points in connection with this matter. First, I wish to correct any
misapprehension which may have arisen with respect to my attitude
in the matter. As the authorised adviser of the Committees in
respect of sanitary matters, it was my duty to lay before them a
draft code such as I believed sufficient for the sanitary requirements
of the case, and to indicate, when required, reasons in support of my
recommendations. But I entirely recognise that my constitutional
position is that of an adviser; it is the function of the Committees
to legislate in such case. It will be my duty loyally to adhere to and
carry out the requirements of the code as adopted by the Committees.
Nay more, I will say, as the result of considerable practical experi-
ence, that I believe we shall obtain better general results under the
code adopted than under the draft code I originally presented,
backed up as we shall be in our action by the general feeling of the
Committees, and the average opinion of the outside public. One
matter alone I regret - that in view of the serious loss to farmers
resulting from the prevalence of tuberculosis in cowbyres, and the
dangers to the public arising in this way, a higher standard of cubic