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Show GOVERNMENT SETS W RABIES CONFERENCE Hj Health Officials of All Western States to Meet n : In Salt Lake City February 2nd Kl Spotted Fever to Be Topic. 't' , . F' p -j o BorioiiH lathe nionncc of rabies 'nnd Rocky Moijtifeuk apbtted ?' fever in the Wont Hint SurKcon General Rupert Hluc of the fcdoral hcnlth dcimrtmcnt in response to requests from Dr. T. B. Beatty, secrolnry of the Utah state Ixmrtl of health, representing not only r 4 this Htato hut other Western comtnonwcnltliH, has called a con- Vf fcrcncc of stale and territorial health authorities. Sr "This is the second conference of the kind to be called," says Spj Dr. Beatty. "The first was to fight the bubonic plague and was held in San Francisco. It requires the request of five states to HI convince the federal government of the necessity of such a con- PJ fcrcncc. Wo had no difficulty in meeting this requirement. The fvljf coming session is called for all the states west of the Mississippi HI Surgeon Blue's wire to Dr. Beatty said: "In compliance with H your request I have issued a call for a conference of state nnd fj territorial health authorities at Salt Lake City, February 2d, to consider the rabies, Hocky Mountain spotted fever and other pub- H lie health matters. On account of the importance of the situation, B I deem it necessary to give the various states sufficient time to V send delegates. This is the reason for placing the date later than H your communication requested." K Federal Agent Tells or His Work. H "Very grave is the coyote situation in Utah nnd the threatened H invasion of rabies from Nevada," said George E. Holman of the H United SUitcs biological survey. "Co-operation in the broadest H sonso of the word for the organization of a vigorous campaign to j exterminate the coyotes, coupled with utmost vigilance, .will tend B to further the solution of the coyote evil," says Holman, who has H been stationed at Provo since October, when ho was placed in B charge of a plan of tho United States biological survey to study B predatory animals and methods by which the damage they cause to stock may be reduced. Holman has eight federal trappers and B hunters at points on the Utah-Nevada boundary lino between the B northwest corner of the state to the southern end of Beaver coun- ty. Two other federal trappers are In Uintah and Duchesne coun- B lies, one in Grand county nnd another is trapping wolves in San B Juan county. B "So far I have received no definite information that rabid B coyotes have been found in Utah, but that they arc nppronching B tho Utah boundary lino from Nevada is a certainty," continued H Holman. "Possibly two-third of Utah's sheep are wintering on B the deserts of Nevada. They are in regions where there are rabid B coyotes. The sheep will be starting back to the ranges In Utah B late in February and early in March. Then is when the actual B danger will begin. B Hov? the Infection May Be Spread. B "Sheep dogs with these flocks may be infected through encoun- H tern with rabid coyotes. Tho infection usunlly docs not develop m Into acute hydrophobia until after four to eight weckd. By that B tlmo tho dogs may be far over into Utah, and the real danger for B Utah will commence. Sheepmen, cattlemen nnd stockmen In gen- B c'ral should get together in an active campaign. In addition clti- B zens should be brought to tho realization that it in to the greatest B interest of tho state to wage war on coyotes, and tho work should be conducted in unison. When th.o United States biological sur- 1 vey started its investigation of the coyote problem in Utah last M October it was planned to learn just how to handle the situation. H I employed my first trapper on October 20th. The force has been B increased until on Christmas day I had twelve at work. B "During a recent visit on the western boundary of the state I B found keen interest in tho prospective invasion of rabid coyotes and tl;j spreading of hydrophobia, but no alarm. Trappers on P tho western boundary have met with considerable success, I have H learned, but I will not know definitely just what has been done H until I return to Provo to check up." H Governor Spry Declines Invitation. H Gov. William Spry last Friday received a telegram from Gov. H Emmet Boyle of Nevada, inviting him to send a representative to H the conference of health officials federal nnd 'state, held at Wlnne- mucca, January 11th (last Tuesday). In view of tho more cxten- H sivo conference to bo held at Salt Lake City, February 2d, next, H Governor Spry nnd Dr. Beatty did not consider it necessary to have a Utah representative nt tho Nevada meeting. However, Governor Spry wired Governor Boyle thanking the latter for the invitation. Ask Herders to Help the Fight. An nppeal will be made through the state board of sheep commissioners com-missioners to have every nhecphcrder in the state begin war on coyotes. Nominally, shecphcrders are supposed to be after coyotes coy-otes all the time, but most of them, according to A. A. Calllster, secretary, of the board of sheep commslsloners, never lift their hands against the coyotes unless tho animals actually attack tho flocks, Callister is going to write a letter to flockmasters asking them to issue special orders to their shecpherders to go after coyotes. He will suggest thnt in order to obtain results the flockmastcr offer nominal bonuses to herders for the nnlmnls they kill. In addition, there is a state bounty on coyotes. No reports of authentic cases of rabies among coyotes in Utah have been received as yet by state offlclnls. |
