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14
The rat has been said to be the most expensive animal that man maintains and
unlike most vermin has no redeeming feature. As a food consumer and destructive
agent he is easily first. Unfortunately, in proportion to his size, he has the
largest brain of all the mammals and after centuries of oppression he is out to survive.
This makes the problem more difficult and it is necessary to vary the methods
employed to further his destruction.
Two kinds of rats are found in this country, the black rat or mus rattus and
the brown rat or mus decumanus. The former is the carrier of the plague and is
said to be increasing rapidly. The brown rat, sometimes known as the sewer rat,
is far more numerous than the black rat in this Borough. Rats of this type can
always be found in the sewers and branch drains. This may be due to the fact that
St. Marylebone is served by more large brick sewers than many other Boroughs,
but although the brown rat finds brick sewers more suitable to his operations, he can
more readily be dealt with in them than in the smaller pipe sewers.
On the suggestion of the Public Health Committee the Borough Surveyor during
the year made arrangements for the laying of 4,000 poison baits per week in the
sewer entrances and at other suitable spots, the poison used being barium
carbonate blended with oatmeal and fat. This had a marked effect in the direction
of reducing the numbers of the vermin, dead rats being found floating in the
stream and lying in the dry places, the latter as often as not being half eaten by their
fellows. The small cost of this poison (under £12 per annum) and the excellent
results obtained would seem, in view of the fact that no extra labour would be
entailed, .to warrant an additional amount being laid in what must be considered
one of the principal sources of the pest.
In all cases of complaint and wherever thought necessary, inspection has been
made and advice and instructions given.
In many instances it was found that time and money had been spent on rat
destruction without any attempt being made to locate the source of infestation, or
effort to make the premises rat proof. One of the largest traders in the Borough
whose premises were overrun and who had spent large sums on poisons, traps,
catchers, etc., succeeded in getting rid of the vermin as a result largely of acting
upon the advice given by the Council's officers.
Old buildings often provide ideal accommodation for rats; hollow partitions,
space between floors and ceilings and under basement flooring being used for
nesting. It is sometimes difficult in view of the expense involved to treat the interior
of such building, yet by dealing with the external walls, vaults, etc., the premises
may be rat proofed, the ingress of additional numbers being thus prevented, the
problem is reduced to the comparatively easy one of destroying the vermin left in the
building.
Modern buildings do not present the same difficulties as old ones, the walls
and ceilings more often than not being solid, and providing the fixtures are of such
a nature that nesting is not easy, it is a simple matter to clear the premises.
During the year 97 complaints or requests for assistance were received',
necessitating the inspection of 185 premises, 133 of which were found to be more or
less infested. Of the premises 21 were used for the storage or preparation of food
66 as business premises and 46 as dwelling houses. In 55 of the cases the infestation
was entirely due to defects in the drain or sewer connection, etc., and it is extremely
probable that other cases originate from the same source.
Pending any results that may be obtained through scientific research that will
show a better method of dealing with the pest, indiscriminate slaughter of the rat
both male and female is advocated' by the Board of Agriculture and this has been
carried out with the use of poisons, traps, etc. wherever the vermin have been found."
During 1920, two " Rat Weeks " were held with good results.