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RODENT CONTROL.
The destruction of rats and mice presents a problem
bristling with difficulties; these rodents are extremely prolific
and can acclimatise themselves to almost any conditions.
Prior to World War I little was done to cope with the ever
increasing menace. Here and there some sort of local effort
was made to trap and kill rats and mice, but not until after
the passing of the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919, was
any national effort made, and this took the form of a National
Rat Week each year. Local Authorities were circularised by
the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and asked to bait
all the sewers in the area during that week. Posters were
exhibited and pamphlets distributed to the public requesting
them to make an effort to kill rats and mice. Poison baits
were also made available to residents free of charge. Having
regard to the extent of the problem this effort was but a "drop
in the ocean," and had little effect in reducing the rat population.
When World War II broke out, it was officially anticipated
that serious trouble would arise from rat infestation. All
Local Authorities were circularised and requested to appoint
an Officer to deal with the problem. In the event of aerial
attack all drains of demolished properties were to be traced
and "sealed off" to prevent the escape of rats.
The Ministry of Food, to whom the powers were then transferred,
organised a department to carry out research, co-operate
with, assist and advise Local Authorities on the measures to be
taken and the materials to be used.
The first attempt by Local Authorities throughout the
country to rid the sewers of rats, was made in December 1943,
and half yearly maintenance treatments have continued ever
since.
In towns and cities these "reservoir" infestations in the
sewers are continually giving rise to re-infestation of properties,
directly and otherwise, via defective drains or sewers, and
notwithstanding the measures taken over the past 13 years, the
problem is still considerable, resulting in great expense to Local
Authorities and property owners. There is a residual population
of rats in sewers which continues to resist the present measures.
Research and experiment are progressing however, and
new materials have been discovered and developed to a degree
which makes them safe to handle and apply in all habitats of
these rodents. There is good reason to believe that it will soon