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74
Van dwellings are frequently inspected, and during the year
4 vans were found to be overcrowded, and notices were served to
abate the nuisance. Three vans were unoccupied.
Rag Flock Act, 1911.
This Act was passed to prevent the use of material known
as rag flock, unless such material complies with the standard of
cleanliness laid down in the Act.
No proceedings were taken under the Act in Battersea during
1926.
Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919.
This Act, which became operative on the 1st January, 1920,
imposes on local authorities and occupiers of premises additional
responsibilities in connection with rat repression.
During 1926 the work carried out under the Council's Rat
Repression Scheme is summarised as follows:—
Premises visited 2,015 Contracts renewed 14
Poison baits used 405,000 Value of contracts £187 5 0
Dead rats found 2,029 Cash for poison bait £32 17 0
Total expenditure (financial year 1926-7) £568 5 6
Income (financial year 1926-7) £210 10 6
Net cost £357 15 0
Drains were tested at 63 premises in connection with this
work, and in 30 cases were found to be defective. Most of these
defective drains were in private houses. As the presence of rats
in houses is usually regarded as prima facie evidence of drain
defects, the work of the Rat Officer therefore is carried on in close
co-operation with that of the district Sanitary Inspectors.
The methods employed under the Rat Repression Scheme have
been described in previous Annual Reports. It is only necessary,
therefore, to state that as an inspection of the summarised figures
shows, the work done during the year under this head has been as
satisfactory as in previous years.
Personal Cleansing Station.
The new Personal Cleansing Station, opened on the 3rd
November, 1923, was fully described in my Annual Report for
that year.