Pastures Past: Vet services in the 30s and 40s - from shortage to scholarships

In 1935, the Levin Daily Chronicle reported that there was one vet per 175,000 stock in New Zealand. Photo / 123RF

Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day.

Being a vet in the 1930s and 40s would have required grit, ingenuity, and a deep connection to animals and the land.

It would have been a physically demanding and sometimes dangerous job, but for many, it was also incredibly rewarding.

They would have dealt mainly with big animals such as cattle, horses and pigs, and they would have had to endure a lot of travelling to get to farms, often on horseback, by bicycle and if lucky, a car.

Antibiotics like penicillin weren’t in widespread use until the 1940s, so infections would have been difficult to treat.

They would have had to be resourceful and adaptable, often making do with what they had on hand.

The profession has come a long way since then, thanks to advances in medicine, science, and animal welfare.

While back then it would have been a male-dominated profession, nowadays it is a profession often chosen by women.

Veterinary Profession.

Importance of veterinary science

Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis

Levin Daily Chronicle, July 2, 1935

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

Wellington, This Day.

Addressing the New Zealand Veterinary Association’s Conference to-day, Sir Francis Fraser drew attention to the growing importance of veterinary science to the community by strengthening the veterinary profession.

The poor quality reported of meat could be prevented in New Zealand.

There was one qualified veterinary practitioner to every 175,000 head of stock of all kinds, whereas in England and United States there was one to every 16,000.

There were not enough veterinarians in New Zealand to ensure the eradication of bovine tuberculosis, the paucity being due to the failure of farmers to recognise the importance of veterinary science, skill, and co-operation.

Medical veterinary services were required more than ever to conserve the health of the public.

Four Veterinary Scholarships

Northern Advocate, November 28, 1938

[Per Press Association]

Wellington. This Day.

Four veterinary scholarships have been granted for 1939 by the New Zealand Government.

Each scholarship is of an annual value of £100, and selected candidates are to train at the Sydney University Veterinary School, or a college in the United Kingdom.

Students attending the veterinary school in Sydney will have an annual return fare between New Zealand and Australia paid by the Government, but no transport allowance will be given should the student undergo training for the veterinary profession at one of the colleges in Britain.

Six scholarships in veterinary science were given in 1936, and four in 1937.

All of the 1936 scholars went to the Sydney Veterinary School.

The scholarships which the Government is now offering are tenable for five years to students entering the Sydney Veterinary School, with a reduction to four years in the case of those whose qualifications in certain subjects entitle them to such a remission.

Successful applicants will be required to enter into an agreement with the Government that they will undertake veterinary work within the Dominion for at least five years after qualifying, either in the service of the department, if required, or otherwise in some capacity approved by the department.

Care of stock

Veterinary science

Need for trained men

New Zealand Herald, December 22, 1945

“Auckland is woefully short of veterinary surgeons,” said Mr K. C. Aekins, chairman of the Auckland branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, when commenting yesterday on the appeal of the Massey Agricultural College board of governors for the immediate establishment of a veterinary school in New Zealand.

“We are constantly being asked,” Mr Aekins said, “to secure the services of a veterinary surgeon when animals are sick or injured, and it is always most difficult to get one.”

Mr Aekins said the Auckland society had already been discussing the necessity for establishing a veterinary school and it would be further discussed at the annual conference of the federation of New Zealand societies to be held in Wellington, probably in February.

They felt that the report from Massey College deserved the fullest support, and the claims put forward by the college seemed to them unanswerable.

Veterinary surgeons were required not only for stock, but for animals generally.

The society in Auckland looked forward to erecting its own building, where it proposed to have a 24-hours’ service, which would require at least two veterinary surgeons.

“It would be interesting to know,” Mr Aekins said, “how many New Zealanders who have gone to Australia and taken their veterinary surgeon’s degree have returned to New Zealand.”

Veterinary Services

Central Hawke’s Bay Press, September 22, 1947

Information as to funds available and steps which should be taken to establish a veterinary service in Central Hawke’s Bay is to be sought by the Hawke’s Bay provincial executive of Federated Farmers.

Mr A. F. Harris (Onga Onga) declared at a meeting of the executive that there was a crying need for a veterinary service in Central Hawke’s Bay.

According to Mr P. S. Plummer (Tikokino-Argyll), the Veterinary Service Council was particularly interested in the veterinary club in Gisborne which was working well.

- Source: Papers Past