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may be given, but if people replace them with second-hand
articles without efficient examination and disinfection, if
neoessary, the trouble begins again.
3. The possibility of an infested removal covered van
must not be overlooked. It is quite feasible that an occasional
bug or one or two eggs may be left in the van after
the removal of infested articles and thus contaminating
perfectly clean ones.
4. If new houses are built abutting on or adjacent to
old infested house's there is a possibility of migration unless
precautions are taken. Bugs walk rapidly and are capable
of migrating from one house to another, passing along
walls, pipes and gutters. It is a fact that one infested
house at the end of a terrace may ultimately be responsible
for the infestation of every house in the terrace. But
wherever the new houses on the Hadrian Estate have been
built against old houses there is a new wall 18 inches thick
up the first two storeys and then 14 inches thick up to the
top. There is also the old party wall and between that
and the new wall a layer of concrete averaging 3 inches in
thickness. These facts would certainly rule out the possibility
of number 4 being in any way responsible.
5. Neither do I think it possible to have direct
infestation from the sites of the old demolished houses.
The houses are built on a layer six inches thick, composed of
new material and spade finished. No insects would survive
this treatment. If it were possible, as has been tentatively
suggested in Mr. Hilder's report, I feel sure that the
infestation would be more generalised and not simply occur
in isolated flats here and there.
6. I understand that the only material from demolished
houses which has been used for rebuilding was a very little
rubble which was crushed in a mortar mill. This mill
crushes the rubble down to pieces less than the size of a
pea. It is afterwards mixed with lime. After running
the gauntlet of this process, I cannot conceive the possibility
of the survival of either bugs or their eggs if any were
present.
There are one or two minor factors which should not
be overlooked. The first is the very remote possibility of
workmen carrying in the bugs or their eggs on their clothes.
They may also be introduced with luggage, boxes and
packages that have been left standing in some place infested
by bugs. There is also the possibility of children carrying
into the home old infested wood, intended for firewood,.