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91
occupiers of business premises, and twelve were received from the
general public during and immediately after National Rat Week.
During the year ninety-five requests were received by the Public
Health Department for assistance in rat suppression. All of these
complaints were followed by visits from inspectors of the department
to advise on the spot and by the distribution of poison.
The Borough Engineer and Surveyor reports as follows as to the
distribution of rat poison in sewer manholes :
"... the work of rat poisoning at
the beginning of each
month has been continued as usual, but particular note was
taken in November of the baits laid, and the number of cases
in which it had disappeared. The work of laying the poison
was carried out from 27th to 29th October on the Western
District, and from 31st October to 2nd November on the
Eastern side. The Western District was inspected on the
3rd—5th November and the Eastern District 7th—9th
November.
" There are roughly 550 maholes in the Borough, 290 being
in the Eastern District and 260 in the Western District, of which
70% can be treated. Bait was laid in 50% of these, and 80%
of the bait had disappeared before the inspection was made.
This compares with figures of 70% and 84% respectively
obtained in previous years. Wet weather, the presence of H²S
in various sewers and the fact that some of the newly appointed
men are not thoroughly conversant with Finsbury sewerage had
reduced the previous high figures for manholes treated.
"For the first time in several years approximately 80%
of the bait has disappeared in both the Eastern and Western
Districts. Previously much more has disappeared in the
Western than in the Eastern District. The figure of 20% for
baits remaining is about twice as much as in several previous
years. This may be due to the rats tiring of the flavour of the
present bait or gradually realising its import. I arranged for
the recipe for the bait to be slightly altered and also for another
few days to elapse before the inspection is carried out.
"A number of dead rats have been found in the sewers of
the Western District, but no increase has been noticed on the
Eastern District."