View report page

75
RAT REPRESSION.
The table set out on page 76 indicates the number of investigations and inspections
made and details of work carried out under the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919,
during the year ended December 31st, 1927. From this summary it will be seen that 1,153
buildings, occupied by 4,329 firms, were inspected. Of these, 479 were found to be rat
infested. One or other of the rat catchers working in the City was engaged by business
firms in 168 instances, poisons were laid down and traps of the break-back variety were used
in 632 instances, and wire traps in 122. Varnish traps, which were used in special circumstances,
were relied upon in 306 buildings. Cats and dogs were found to be kept by 195
firms. Complaints have been received at the Office, or applications for advice, in 141
instances. The work done in addition to poisons and traps, and the keeping of rodentdestroying
animals, include rat-proofing in 441 instances, and the repair of drainage defects
in 521 others. In this relationship it should be stated that rat-proofing cannot be relied upon
absolutely to exclude rodents from buildings, for reasons which have been pointed out from
time to time,e.g., the importation of rats into buildings in cases and crates from the dock and
ingress through open doors and windows, especially through roof doors provided for exit in
case of fire. The value of properly carried out rat-proofing should not be under-estimated, for
by this means food is protected, the domestic water supply is guarded, fire risk is lessened,
insanitary defects are remedied which might otherwise remain undiscovered, and rats are
more easily reduced in numbers, since hiding places are eliminated and absence of hiding
places results in a decrease of the rat population. It has been pointed out in previous reports
that the construction of many City buildings is such as to render rat-proofing practically
impossible ; and, further, that the owners who are the only persons competent to deal
structurally with the buildings, are not responsible under the Act.
A large number of old buildings have been demolished throughout the City during
the year, and in the course of demolition rats which were disturbed found harbourage in
neighbouring buildings, many of which had not been previously infested. But in many old
buildings poison baits in large numbers have been laid before the work of pulling down has
been started. This has resulted in the destruction of large numbers of rats.

The number of drains reconstructed carried out under the supervision of the Inspector,
attached to my own department, is set out on page 64. It was not found necessary in any
case either to serve Statutory Notices nor to take legal proceedings.
I am indebted to Messrs William Dalton & Sons, rat-catchers, for the information that,
during the year, they caught 29,014 rats in the City.
It is, of course, impossible to estimate the total number of rats destroyed in the City area
during the year ; the impr acticabilitv of giving even an approximate estimate was pointed out in a
special report presented to the Sanitary Committee on the 26th September, 1922.
Rat-catchers and poisoners are engaged on contract in many of the multiple tea-shops,
restaurants, hotels, and business premises ; several vacant building sites in the City were