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In addition to the cleansing of persons referred to
above, articles of personal clothing disinfested at the
Medicinal Baths during the year numbered 4,177.
Disinfection and Disinfestation.
A summary of the routine work of the disinfecting staff
is shown in the following table:-
Houses disinfected after infectious disease 450 (619 rooms)
Houses disinfested after vermin 1401 (3718 rooms)
Loads of furniture treated with hydrogen
cyanide 63
Total weight of furniture, bedding, etc., dealt with
110 tons, 16 cwt. 3 quarters, 5 lbs
Destruction of Rats and Mice.
The Council's work under the Rats and Mice (Destruction)
Act, 1919, and the Infestation Order, 1943, during the year
continued to attract the grant of 50% of the approved net
expenditure from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,
subject to compliance with the following conditions:-
(i) that the Council maintain an organisation adequate
for effective rodent control according to the
condition of infestation in the area, and adopt
the methods recommended by the Ministry;
(ii) that special attention is paid to efficient rodent
control in sewers, refuse dumps, refuse destructors
and other local authority properties, in accordance
with guidance given by the Ministry; and
(iii) that effective action is taken to control rats and
mice in all surface properties to which directions
given under the Infestation Order, 1943, apply.
The expenditure ranking for grant is that incurred on:-
(i) administration and execution of the conditions set
out in paragraph (i) above;
(ii) treatment of sewers, refuse destructors and dumps
and other local authority properties;
(iii) treatment of private dwellings, after deduction of
receipts, if any, from occupiers for work done by
the Council; and
(iv) such other expenditure as the Ministry may approve.,
No grant aid is given in respect of expenditure on the
treatment of infestations at commercial or industrial premises,
the intention of the Ministry being that such expenditure
shall be fully recovered from the occupiers and should not
fall on public funds. The Council agreed during 1949 to
waive all charges for mice destruction treatment of private
property (other than commercial buildings).
On two occasions all the sewers in the borough were
dealt with by poison bait, and it was estimated that in the
first treatment 6,311 rats were destroyed; and in the second
5,500 rats were killed.