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66
RAT REPRESSION.
The Eats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919, became operative on 1st January,
1920, and involved the Corporation, the Citizens and the Occupiers of Premises within
the City in responsibilities in connection with the suppression of rats.
Instructions have been given by posters and the free distribution of pamphlets.
The Press has shown much interest in the matter, and frequent reference, both
serious and humorous, has been made to the subject in nearly all papers.
It may consequently be stated that all responsible persons are now aware that
their premises may no longer legally harbour rats.
The Report which I presented to the Court at the beginning of the year dealt very
fully with the whole question of rat repression in the City, and it will now suffice if I
call attention to paragraph 5, which reads as follows:—
"Although probably not every premises in the City harbour rats, I do not
"consider that there is any part of the City area which can be reasonably deemed to
"be free from rat infestation. Such buildings as are generally free are exposed to
intermittent infestation as consequence of rats gaining access in the ways already
"described. Two problems present themselves:—
"(1) The riddance of buildings of rats, and
"(2) The riddance of the district as a whole."
That the work may be both systematic and co-operative is the ideal now being
aimed at. House-to-house inspection in defined areas has been instituted with a view
to co-operation amongst occupiers for the suppression of the rat nuisance, and to
impress upon occupiers of infested premises who are not taking action the necessity
for doing so, in the interest of themselves and of their neighbours. Advice is given
as to the best methods to be adopted in each case, and the premises are revisited to
ascertain whether this advice is being acted upon and with what results. An indexing
system has been installed for the purpose of registering infested premises and premises
which structurally are likely to harbour the rodents.
The accompanying table gives a summary of the work carried out during the year,
but the systematic inspection of areas was only inaugurated in November last, when two
Inspectors in addition to the one already engaged were put on to this particular work.
In making these house-to-house visits the Inspectors are instructed to point out to
all occupiers that the responsibility of rat suppression devolves upon them, but that
the Department is anxious to give all possible assistance in the work and to obtain a
measure of co-operation among occupiers where a particular locality is affected.
It was found during the house-to-house inspections that frequently neglected
premises harbouring rodents were a cause of reinfestation of premises where reasonable
measures to stamp out the nuisance had already been taken, thus proving the need for
detailed routine inspection. As an example, I may mention, that a basement in
Farringdon Street, in which a very large number of cheeses were stored, was found
to be the cause of the rat infestation of a considerable surrounding area. The owner
of the basement was called upon to take repressive measures, and was advised to use
varnish traps, by which means over 200 rats were caught in three weeks. In addition,
all rat holes were stopped, and most of the cheeses removed, with the result that the
nuisance in that area is practically abated for the time.
The number of rats caught (shown in the column under that heading) represents
only a very small proportion of the total, as these are merely the results of preliminary
trapping under the actual instruction of the Inspectors. Trapping is being continued
in almost every case by the occupiers concerned at regular intervals. It is almost a
matter of impossibility, however, to get them to send in their returns. All the rats
shown as trapped were caught on varnish. There is no doubt that for indoor work
the Varnish Trap is a reliable contrivance.
Throughout the City a number of professional rat catchers and poisoners are
engaged regularly in trapping and poisoning in large business premises. I consider
it desirable that these professionals should work in conjunction with the official Eat
Officer, so that the latter should know the premises in which they are operating and
the results of their efforts, and I think, later, an attempt should be made to formulate
a scheme of registration of ratcatchers by the City Authorities. Such a system would
probablv benefit ratcatchers as a whole, since it would, to some extent, be a guarantee
of their bona fides. It is important that the Authorities should be able to obtain
certain information from them, e.g.:—
(a) A list of the premises at which they are employed.
(b) The methods they use and the success of each method.
(c) The number of rats caught or destroyed.
(d) The amount and kind of poison used at each place.