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7
[1932

SEWER EMANATIONS.
See page fit), Medical Officer of Health's Report for 1929, and page 70,
Report for 1930. During 1932 as in 1931 the London County Council were still
conducting experiments.
RATS AND MICE (DESTRUCTION) ACT, 1919.
(9 and 10 Geo. 5. Ch. 72.)
Rat Week in Islington this year was treated in a somewhat different way from
previous years, inasmuch as our Committee decided in the place of public posters
throughout the Borough, as formerly, to issue handbills as widely as possible.
We exhibited of course the usual transparencies at the Town Hall, but in place of
300 large posters, 5,000 small handbills were ordered, and of these 4,000 were
actually issued, leaving 1,000 in reserve for occasional callers or enquirers at the
Town Hall. The handbills were distributed from the enquiry counter of the Public
Health Department, and also left by the Sanitary Inspectors during the course of
their visitation in the various districts. A number were also distributed by the
Health Visitors in the homes and also at the workplaces by the Inspectors of
Workshops.
There was not this year quite the same demand for rat poison. Personally, I
feel that there is a decided opening, if it were placed on the market, for a good rat
poison put up in a collapsible tube to sell at not more than sixpence per tube. The
majority of small households are quite willing to experiment with something at
that cost, but if the cost is 9d. or 1/-, they are not so ready to take it. We did
during the past year try a proprietary poison issued at sixpence in collapsible
tubes, but it appeared to have the disadvantage that it did not keep potent once it
had been opened, therefore it is ineffective for a second or subsequent bait.
During our Rat Week in November I was indirectly approached as to whether
my department could give good advice to a very large educational institute in the
Borough. On investigation it was found that the rats complained of were possibly