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is a difference in the nature of the work to be performed in rural and urban districts.
The problems whilst being similar in minor respects are totally dissimilar in major
respects. Rat repression in urban districts in so far as the vermin infest separate
buildings, resolves itself into a consideration of whether the sanitary conditions of
that building, particularly as regards drains, are satisfactory ; whether refuse is
properly stored and whether the construction of the building is such that renders
difficult the ingress of the vermin to the premises and the vermin having gained
entry, whether life is rendered difficult by the absence of suitable nesting places
and by the reduction of available food supplies to a minimum.
Similar principles apply in a rural district, particularly as regards what might
be termed common harbourage, but the application of preventive measures is a
different problem to what is presented in urban areas.
In dealing with separate premises one of the primary considerations is to
render those premises proof against ingress of rats from the sewers. This entails
two considerations:—
(i) careful inspection of existing sanitary fittings and
(ii.) adequate supervision of such fittings as it is proposed shall be put
out of use.
As regards the first of these, the drainage work done by all the inspectors as
well as the special work done by the rat inspectors may be included as work against
rat infestation. The City Engineer is constantly investigating the sewers, and as
far as opportunity presents, it appears that sewers are being improved. In his
investigations of the sewers he directs my attention to defective connections, many
of which are the result of the circumstance that years ago drains and connections
to the sewers were made under regulations which are not acceptable to-day.
As regards the second requirement, the bye-laws of the Corporation now require
that before any structural alterations are carried out to existing sanitary appliances,
notice of the proposal should be sent to the Medical Officer of Health. In
this way control is obtained of drains which it is proposed shall be cut off from
existing drainage. It enables supervision to be made of the closing of open ends
and if necessary defective drains which are thrown out of use may be required to
be dug out or stopped up in some adequate manner.
In the City the disused drains of the past must provide a certain amount of
suitable harbourage. The proposals of the London County Council contained in
the following resolution of the General Purposes Committee must be reviewed
with satisfaction:—
" (a) That legislation be promoted in the Session of Parliament 1923, to place upon
" owners or occupiers of property an obligation to notify the local authority on ceasing to
" use any drain or similar sanitary fitting, and to make it an offence to cease to use any
" such drain or sanitary fitting without efficient sealing off."
Apparently the Ministry of Health regard rat repression as being closely
related to general sanitation. For that reason the Sanitary Officers' Order, 1922,
now provides that a sanitary inspector shall " if so directed by the Local Authority,
" act as an officer of the Local Authority under the Rats and Mice
"(Destruction) Act, 1919, and under any orders or regulations made thereunder."
Under this instruction all the sanitary inspectors have been appointed officers
under this Act and approval of the Ministry has been made to the temporary
appointment of Mr. Mayne as officer co-ordinating the work of the different inspectors
in connection with rat repression.
It is also perhaps of interest briefly to mention the standpoints from which
rat repression is viewed by the owner and occupier of a building since the Act came
into operation.
Before January, 1920, the date of the Act coming into force, if rats became a
nuisance the occupier usually complained to the owner who took the necessary
steps to abate the nuisance, either by calling in professional ratcatchers or by
instructing his builder to see to the drains if necessary and to stop up all holes
and places of ingress. Poisons also were used, chiefly by the ratcatcher and the
building was dealt with as a whole. The chief poison in those days was generally
phosphorous and from it reasonably good results were obtained. Viruses of more
or less efficiency have also been in use for some years. The dangers to be apprehended
from the use of bacterial preparations and their limited application were fully