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our request, and I must again acknowledge the valuable assistance
and cordial co-operation of Mr. Sharp and his staff. There were no
heavy infestations and all could be classed as belonging to the
"Minor secondary" type.
The annual 10 per cent, test of the sewer manholes, to ascertain
the extent of rat infestation of the sewers, was again carried out
at the request of the Ministry of Food. Test baits of sausage rusk
were laid in 187 manholes and when inspected two days afterwards
only 19 of the baits had disappeared.
Pre-baiting as a preliminary to poison baiting was then undertaken
in the sewers in the vicinity of those where the test baits
had gone. This again resulted in only a few "takes"—13 out of 190
baited. These 13 manholes were then poison baited with the result
that there were no complete "takes" and in 12 sewer manholes
the poison baits were only partly consumed.
These results were somewhat similar to those of last year and
are a proof that rat infestation of the sewers is very slight. Full
particulars were supplied to the Infestation Division of the Ministry
of Agriculture.
Verminous Houses.
Eleven privately owned houses, three council houses and two
requisitioned houses were found to be infested with insects. All
were disinfested by stripping and burning wallpaper and spraying
with "Zaldecide" or "Cooper's D.D.T." liquid insectide after
loosening or removal of picture rails, skirting boards and architraves.