View report page

23
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 "Rat 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 "Rat 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 sowers, the bait used being small cubes
of bread soaked in liquid extract of red squills and "Dalroc," which are found to
be more effective than barium carbonate. The baits were laid in the sewers weekly
during the year, including four times during the first week in Novembe. 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 were taken and dead rats occasionally 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.
In all cases where rat catchers are employed under the arrangements made
by the Council information is given to the Medical Officer of Health by the firms
employed as to the work done and the results, but in many cases other firms of
rat catchers are employed and it would be an interesting consideration as to
whether the duty should be placed on all rat catchers to notify the Local Authority
when they discover the presence of rats or rat runs.