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The Port of London Authority have made bye-laws requiring the master of every
ship to cause all ropes and mooring tackle, to be fitted with guards, to prevent
rats from passing from ship to shore. The bye-laws also prescribe that, when the
discharge or loading of cargo is not actually proceeding, one gangway, whitened
for a length of 10 feet at the end next the vessel, may be used as a communication
between the ship and the shore.
3. Methods of Deratisation of-
(a) SHIPS.
(i) The burning of sulphur at the rate of 3-lbs, per 1,000 cubic feet of
space for a period of not less than 6 hours.
(ii) The generation of hydrocyanic acid gas by various methods. For the
destruction of rats a concentration of 0.2 per cent of HCN is required with a minimum
exposure of 2 hours. If the fumigation is for the destruction of insect life,
bed bugs, cockroaches etc., two or three times the concentration is employed and
the exposure increased up to twelve or even twenty-four hours, according to the
time available.
(iii) Trapping. All vessels from plague infected ports are required to
have traps set on board in order that specimens may, if possible, be obtained for
bacteriological examination. All other vessels, on which there is evidence of
rats, but not of such a number as to justify a demand for fumigation, are required
to carry out trapping and this may be done, either by private firms approved for
the work, or by the staff of the Port Health Authority.
(b) PREMISES IN THE VICINITY OF THE DOCKS AND QUAYS.
This is now done under the Rodent Control Scheme referred to elsewhere in
this Report.
4. Measures taken for the detection of rat prevalence in ships and on shore.
Examination by Inspectors and Rodent Officers, as already described.
5. Rat-proofing.
(a) To what extent are Docks, Wharves, Warehouses etc., rat-proof ?
During the war years nothing was done to render the dock premises ratproof,
indeed many of the wharves and warehouses suffered severely from
enemy action but when the rebuilding of these premises is possible, every
effort will be made to see that the recommendations made before the war are
carried into effect.
(b) Action taken to extend rat-proofing (i) in Ships (ii) on shore.
This action has remained in abeyance during the war period but will be
actively pursued as soon as the post-war conditions make this possible.
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