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95
A notification was received from the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries that a hide from an animal infected with Anthrax
had been brought into Croydon. This hide was traced and
destroyed by burning. All contact hides and the premises were
disinfected, and those employees who handled the hide were given
prophylactic treatment. No employees were infected.
Of the four notifications of suspected Swine Fever, three
proved to be positive, two being found by the Meat Inspector at
the slaughterhouses and the other being in pigs at a smallholding.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries dealt with the
contact pigs.
PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY PESTS ACT, 1949.
This Act is mainly concerned with the destruction of rats and
mice and it places a duty on the occupier of any premises to report
to the Local Authority any infestation by such rodents. Three
ratcatchers, officially designated rodent operatives, are employed
to deal with such complaints.
During the year, 1,660 private dwellings were inspected
following complaints and in 924 instances infestation was confirmed.
The rodent operatives dealt with 715 of these infestations
and the occupiers themselves, after being advised, dealt with 147.
In 41 instances defective drainage was permitting the egress of
rats from the sewers—appropriate action was taken to have the
drains repaired and the adjacent sewers treated. 180 business
premises were found to be infested with rats or mice and these
were all disinfested during the year. Corporation owned premises
including sewage works, refuse tips, depots, etc., are periodically
inspected for the presence of rodents and if infested then action is
taken by the department to eradicate the pests. 11 such premises
were found to be infested during the year. Included in the
Corporation's ownership are the sewers of the Borough and for
some years now these have been systematically treated for rat
infestation and the results have shown a steady decline in the rat
population over the years.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries through their pest
control branch are constantly experimenting in the war against
rodents and other pests, and are ready to pass on to Local
Authorities any new findings which will be helpful in this essential
public health function.