Mr. ANDERSEN. How many people do you have connected with the Bureau of Animal Industry in each State? Dr. SIMMS. We will vary all the way from a small number, as small as 5 veterinarians, in some of the States, up to 18 or 20 in the States that have the largest number. Mr. ANDERSEN. Is a table on this included in the material inserted in the record previously? Dr. SIMMS. I do not believe so. Mr. ANDERSEN. Perhaps you can break it down and put it in the record at this point by States. Dr. SIMMS. We have it, and it will be no trouble at all to put it in. (The table is as follows:) Bureau field organization and staffing by States and Territories, Jan. 31, 1953 1—Continued 1 Full-time employees. Includes employees paid from "Research facilities" and allotment from "Agricultural Marketing Act." Includes employees paid from "Eradication of foot-and-mouth disease and other contagious diseases of animals and poultry," "Expenses, feed, and attendants for animals in quarantine," and "Inspection of animal foods. 4 Offices combined under 1 State organization. Animal-disease control and eradication work combined with Massachusetts office. • Animal-disease control and eradication work combined with Maryland office. 'Animal disease control and eradication work combined with Maine office. PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEXICAN BORDER INSPECTION Mr. ANDERSEN. Why should the organization pattern in Arizona differ from that in other areas along the Mexican border, Doctor? Dr. SIMMS. The pattern of the organization along the Mexican border is determined to some extent by the amount of work to be done in the States along the border; by the personnel and their availibility; by the numbers of animals that come in; and by the type of work that needs to be done. Along the Arizona border, for instance, we are not concerned to the extent that we are along the Texas border with the importation of animals that might be tick infested, so that the type of inspection that is done there may be less burdensome and the amount of inspection is not as large as it is in Texas. Mr. ANDERSEN. Now, from a report that I have, it seems that the Arizona arrangement has the advantage of closer coordination and supervision of the three general activities, border inspection, stockyard inspection, and tuberculosis and brucellosis work. Dr. SIMMS. That is right. In Arizona, the border work is not as heavy as it is in Texas, and we have a single man in the State who has charge of all of the work. Mr. ANDERSEN. Why do you not apply the same plan to New Mexico and Texas, Doctor? I am just wondering why you do not extend the benefits of the better organization in Arizona, as it looks to me, to New Mexico and Texas. Dr. SIMMS. Well, the job in Texas is big enough so that the border inspection work really makes up a much larger segment, or a much bigger job, than it does in Arizona. DISEASED HORSES Mr. ANDERSEN. Doctor, last year the problem of handling diseased horses along the border was brought to the committee's attention. What has happened on this problem? Dr. SIMMS. I believe they have worked that out reasonably satisfactorily. You remember that these horses were coming across the border and were apprehended on this side. The customs personnel were not very much inclined to seize the animals and sell them because they could not get enough money for them to pay for the handling. Since that time it has developed that the customs people are handling those horses, they are seizing, and selling them; and the thing is paving its way. You remember when Mexico had foot-and-mouth disease, we had the authority to kill cattle that came in. We did not have the authority to kill these horses. In many instances the Mexicans would not come over and pay the impoundment charges on them, so the customs people just did not want to handle them. But that has been pretty Well straightened out. Mr. ANDERSEN. I understand the customs people, however, are doing a little complaining about this. Do you think that the arrangement will continue to work satisfactorily? Dr. SIMMS. Yes, I think they have worked it out fairly well. VESICULAR EXANTHEMA Mr. HORAN. When will Dr. Simms be prepared to discuss this problem we have with the interstate. shipment of VE swine? Mr. ANDERSEN. We can go into that now, if you wish. Dr. SIMMS. I am prepared to discuss it any time. Mr. HORAN. The shipper may get clearance when he loads the swine at the f. o. b. point, but frequently they get sick en route and arrive at the packing plant infected. Of course, the animals have to be disposed of, and there has been quite a loss of money to the buyers from animals which were presumably healthy when they were loaded. Dr. SIMMS. That is more or less similar to what we were saying just now about shipping fever in cattle. Mr. HORAN. That is right. Dr. SIMMS. The animals are loaded looking healthy, with no indications of the disease, but they arrive at their destination with acute, well-developed symptoms of vesicular exanthema. That has been happening particularly with the hogs that have gone from Missouri River and Mississippi River points to the Pacific coast, where they are en route as much as 4 to 5 or even 6 days. It has been a very troublesome problem. It is one that we have not solved as yet. INDEMNITY PAYMENTS The States that have received these hogs have naturally, I think, been rather reluctant to pay indemnities on them. They say these hogs originated in Omaha or South St. Paul or Kansas City and arrived in California or Washington or Oregon with this disease; that it is not up to them to pay indemnities on animals that have contracted disease somewhere else and have come into their State. Our agreements with the States have been, and the procedure always followed in paying indemnities by the Bureau has been, a cooperative one; that is, the State pays part of the indemnity and the Federal Government pays part. I might say that we have a conference set up for this afternoon for a discussion of vesicular exanthema and the payment of indemnities, but this is a problem that we have not as yet found a method of solving. EXTENT OF DISEASE Mr. ANDERSEN. What is the extent of this disease at present? Dr. SIMMS. At the present time the disease is known to be in about 18 or 20 States. It has invaded, all told, since it spread from California last year, 36 States. Mr. ANDERSEN. Have you any estimates as to the loss up to thi time? Dr. SIMMS. We have some figures as to the number of animal that have been infected and the numbers that have been slaughtered Mr. ANDERSEN. Of course, we know it has been in California fo some years. Dr. SIMMS. It has been in California for 20 years. Since the dis ease left California, up until the 28th of February it has invade about 36 States. It has infected, all told, according to our figure |