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! FLYING "VETS"
FOR N.S.W.
The world's first "flying
1 vet" service is expected to
? be operating in New South
Wales before the end of
' this year.
? I'Innned to start tliis winter
| the service which will covvr
Ic:.0l0,00u acres of the Slate's
western division, has been de
layed by floods. It will event
ually cover the needs of the
5.500.000 sheep and 45,000 cattle
pastured in the area.
Although nearly 100 students
' are in their final year of Veter
inary Science at Sydney Uni
versity. war's manpower de
mands slashed Australia's pool
of veterinary students by half.
The western division now has
only three stock inspectors to
handle its veterinary needs.
Using air laxi services and
emergency airfields, two flying'
vets will operate from Broken
Hill and Bourke. Annual cost of
the service which is sponsored
by the N.S.W. Agricultural De
partment, is not expected to ex
ceed £4.flft0 which will come from
a levy on graziers.
Australia, according to Profes
sor H. n. Carne, of the Sydney
University Veterinary Science
School, lias onlj four qualified
veterinarians to every 1,000.100
[live-stock, compared to Den
mark's 350, Britain's 100. But
the "flying vet" service will pro
vide 100 per cent cover for tho
sprawling west.
$