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carry out effective means to rid premises of rats rests with the
occupier, they are prepared to place the services of the
Organising Officer at the disposal of the inhabitants, and to
provide such measures—e.g., poisons, traps, etc.—as may be
required on terms to be agreed.
It is hardly necessary to point out the extreme importance
of securing that effective steps are taken for the extermination
of these destructive vermin. Apart from the danger to
public health that may arise from rats acting as carriers of
dangerous disease, the damage done to food-stuffs by these
rodents is most formidable, and it is estimated that the country
suffers a loss in this respect of fifteen million pounds annually.
If you desire to avail yourself of the facilities provided by
the Council, on hearing from you to this effect I will arrange
for the Organising Officer to call upon you.
Enclosed will be found a scale of charges which the
Committee propose to recommend the Council to adopt.
Yours faithfully,
Medical Officer of Health.
The response to this letter was encouraging and satisfactory.
Many of the principal manufacturers and business
firms in the Borough readily decided to make use of the scheme
which the Council had prepared, with a view to securing that
the best means available for the systematic destruction of rats
and mice should be at the disposal of the inhabitants generally.
The scheme, it was hoped, would be self-supporting, and
a scale of fees, based upon the size of the premises to be
cleared of rats, was approved by the Health Committee.
During 1920, 27 firms and business premises had entered
into a contract with the Council for the use of the services of
the Organising Rat Officer and his staff.
The results obtained for the first few months' working of
the scheme have been interesting and promising, and many
firms have already written to the Medical Officer of Health,
expressing their satisfaction at the successful methods adopted
by the Organising Officer's staff.
Most of the successful measures for the destruction of
rats and mice were utilised by the Organising Rat Officer's
staff, the most successful being poisons (mainly those harmless
to man and domestic animals), traps, gas, etc.