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thereof should be required to notify the sanitary authority, but the authority
itself should be responsible at its own cost for any necessary sealing off or removal.
On the recommendation of the Public Health Committee the Council agreed
with the suggestion and notified the London County Council accordingly.
The following is a copy of the Memorandum issued in the Borough on rat
proofing:—
The two kinds of rats commonly found in Holborn are the brown rat and the
black rat, also known as the house or ship rat. The brown rat is found in sewers
and drains, and generally enters a building through a defective house drain. But
it frequently burrows under the footpaths from a defective sewer or a defective
point of connection of a house drain with a sewer and works its way along until it
finds a weak spot in the wall of the basement or in the brickwork of a coal shoot
which it gnaws through and so obtains entrance to the premises.
The black rat is an expert climber and can not only climb up the stack pipes
and mount to the higher window ledges and roofs of houses, but can also travel
by overhead telegraph and telephone wires. This rat therefore can enter
premises by way of chimneys, windows, roof ventilators, and any other similar
openings; a very thorough system of rat-proofing is required to prevent its gaining
access to buildings.
At night rats have been seen running about the streets; these get into
buildings through unprotected area gratings, defective basement lights, and
windows, and often through doors which have been left open. In some cases
where a siOpe has been made up to a door to do away with a step, the door when
closed has a wide space underneath through which rats can easily enter. In
addition to the use of poisons, traps, dogs, ferrets, etc., to get rid of rats, it is
necessary:—
(1) To prevent any more rats getting into the premises.
To effect this:—
(a) All holes in basement walls and floors should be filled up with
broken brick and cement or glass and cement. Loosely-filled spaces should
similarly be treated, particularly where drains run close to the floor.
(b) A good cement floor should be laid down in the basement, if not
already in existence.
(c) Disused drains which formerly opened into the basement or other
parts of the premises should be removed and the openings at the sewer end
completely blocked up with cement.
(d) Openings into basements such as area windows or the ventilating
windows of W.C.s near the ground level, should be fitted with small mesh
galvanised iron wire netting—¼ inch mesh is a suitable size. Defective
pavement lights should be seen to.
(e) Doors should be made to fit closely at the bottom; if necessary
the foot should be covered with sheet iron,