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23
Rat Week.
In accordance with the suggestion of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,
"Rat Week" was observed during the first week in November. The importance
of this annual attack on the rodent population has long been recognised; it forms
a fitting opportunity to remind the public of their duties under the Eats and Mice
(Destruction) Act and, by means of suitable propaganda, to urge the necessity for
rat destruction. But it would be a mistake to regard " Eat Week " as an end in
itself; to concentrate all effort into a single week would at best produce a sporadic
response and court comparative failure. The Sanitary Inspector and the occupiers
of premises that are, or may be, rat infested, can only be assured of success by
systematic routine work all the time. An essential for the success of any rat week
is co-operation. The need for concerted action against rats can hardly be overemphasised.
This applies particularly in an old built up area such as Holborn
where individuals are handicapped in their efforts to destroy rats by the difficulty
or impossibility of dealing with conditions beyond their immediate control; the
solution of the problem often depends on simultaneous action by all occupiers and
owners of premises in infested areas. The failure of one occupier in an infested
block will effectually mitigate against the successful extermination of rats in the
area concerned.
In the observation of "Eat Week" in the Borough we endeavoured to
secure, during the six days, intensive action and complete co-operation by
occupiers in rat infested blocks, and efforts were made to deal effectively with the
various causes at the roots of infestations. As a corollary to this, the importance
of continuous systematic routine work for the extermination of rats and the
prevention of re-infestation was emphasised.
The general arrangements made by the Council for rat repression included: —
(1) Systematic baiting in the Council's sewers, the bait used being small cubes
of bread soaked in liquid extract of red squills, which is found to be more effective
than barium carbonate. The baits were laid in the sewers 46 times during the year,
including four times during the first week in November. A quarter of a gallon of
the poison, making 1,000 baits, is used each time. The men who work in the
sewers report that the baits are taken although dead rats are very rarely seen.
(2) The services of the Council's workmen were available for rat proofing
subject to the cost of such service and the material used being defrayed by the
owners or occupiers of the premises where the work was carried out.
(3) Arrangements were continued with a firm of rat catchers for dealing with
rat infested premises at the cost of the occupiers. This arrangement has proved
useful and reports are from time to time received from the rat catchers employed
respecting their inspections of the premises and the work ultimately carried out.
Inspection of Workshops, etc.
The routine inspection of factories, workshops and workplaces has been carried
out during the year. 317 factories were inspected, 617 workshops and 2,935
workplaces.