Show al CL t V L S A C 4 11 ju 1 0 i i 3 n 4 A s s on i sit U a C j 9 LOS ANGELES april 15 1929 we western tern stockmen stoc kmen may well feel thankful t that hat the recent foot and mouth disease outbreak in southern california was eradicated within record time and with only four outbreaks they may feel thankful because never before in the history of disease eradication work was such an epidemic wiped out so quickly at such small expense and with so little inconvenience to those concerned and without the usual excitement and hysteria in such cases we also owe a vote of thanks to the federal federa state and county forces who so ably went about their work and who won such a superb battle but now that the 1929 foot and mouth outbreak is a matter of history livestock leaders are more than ever determined that america must do everything possible to prevent another outbreak it has been definitely determined that the disease germ was brought into california through trimmings of meat which was taken on by a round the world steamship at a south american port the meat scraps were put ashore and fed to hogs in a los angeles county feedlot feed lot and there the disease broke out california interests will ask for a congressional investigation to determine mine the possibilities of infection I 1 being brought into the country in in many ways and also to inquire into the sufficiency of present regulations and policing methods the idea being to forever more prevent the entrance of the pest into the united states it is apparently up to the states to cooperate with the united states department of agriculture protecting themselves with such legislation as may be available and then carrying out the policing of such regulations As the matter now stands california authorities with full realization to of the dangers are guarding all ports of entry yet the disease might just as well be brought into this country through either the canadian or mexican border or an atlantic seaport likewise through gulf ports and inland waterways which go into the very heart of the corn belt and agricultural sections of the united states not that these countries may have hare foot and mouth infection but we do know that practically every civilized civilize nation on the face of the earth is troubled with or exposed to the pes pest t in the exchange of commodities in in the ordinary course of trading b between e infected and non infected countries is where the danger lies and where the preventative measures must be applied we always like to believe that with every disaster some good may come out of it in the case of the recent outbreak in california some benefit did accrue it was found that the latest means of combating the spread of the disease were more effective than any tried in the past it has been definitely proven that the foot and mouth germ is carried in the meat of infected animals and that the germ genn lives in the bone marrow even under refrigeration lying dormant until brought out into higher temperatures when they become active this latter feature feature is important because of the pressure alii which ell his has h is been brought upon the federal gov to admit into america the meats from boutries cou tries where the di dio ease is s known to exist many have maintained that this embargo laid down by our federal bureau of animal industry was more of an economic embargo than a means of 0 f protection from disease but the contrary has now been definitely proven it t is beside the question that american fean livestock producers ale aie protected agai rbt bt competition from cheaper foreign ji eats congress will be asked to determine whether or not the disease exists exist in the canal zone and what the possibilities are of infection being brought into the united states 0 t lovah agh american possessions froin 1 knon 1 non i farces of the livestock industry and its ramifications is aid to be the biggest single in the united slates it if is certainly sufficiently important to lo he c fi welfare of the country a a bhole to warrant full measures of protection against foot and mouth ci Oi sease |