View report page

17
RIVERS AND STREAMS, DRAINAGE AND SEWER. GS,
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS, SCHOOLS AND SHOPS presented no special
problems during the year.
SWIMMING POOLS.
One swimming pool was in use by the Public for a
short while but no bacteriological examinations of the water
were made, as the pool was closed when evacuation of the school
children occurred.
SANITARY INSPECTIONS, ETC.
The number of complaints received during the
year (453) was slightly less than in 1943 and two-fifths
related to rats and mice. On the other hand nearly eight
times as many inspections were made, chiefly owing to the Rat
Campaign. There was a marked decrease in the number of
infectious disease investigations and disinfections, but this
was compensated for by an increase in the number of drains
requiring attentions of visits to public shelters and for the
preparation of war damage schedules of dilapidations.
ERADICATION OF BED BUGS.
The methods of dealing with this pest found most
satisfactory during previous years were continued during 1944.
The number of houses dealt with was as follows:-
Council Houses infested 3
Other houses infested 8
Council houses disinfested 3
Other houses disinfected 8
This shows a decrease of two private houses
compared with the previous year's figures, whilst the number of
council houses infested and treated remained the same.
RATS AND MICE DESTRUCTION.
The nation wide campaign against rodents was
continued throughout the year. The public were again offered
the opportunity to report the presence of rats to the Council
through the wardens' Service, but without success: the public
preferred to refer their complaints direct to the Public Health
Department.
The total number of complaints received was 180,
a decrease on the number received during the preceding year.
The number of inspections was 721 and re-inspections 1,421.
The chief causes of complaints were premises
where poultry were kept in small numbers and where food was
prepared in canteens. The building of sheds at ground level
with wooden, concrete or brick floors on or a few inches above
the ground provides excellent harbourage for rats, and the
remedying of this kind of defect has been most difficult,
owing to labour shortage and the impossibility of obtaining
adequate rat-proofing material.
The methods adopted for extermination in these
cases has been the laying of prebait and poison bait in
baiting boxes, and the use of cymag gas. Re infestations have
occurred in several cases.
During the year, a wide examination of sewers
was undertaken, but only in a few cases were there signs of
small infestations in the manholes. Of 200 streets inspected,
only 6 were affected. These were short streets in congested
areas, or where the sewers ended. Poisoned baits were laid
in these areas and since the completion of the initial baiting
the results of subsequent baiting has proved that few rats
infest the areas. in fact, for the amount of time, labour
and baiting expended in these areas the results were