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The Public Health Inspectors have to spend a considerable
amount of time in securing the removal of these people, and in
the majority of cases they have to resort to towing the caravans off
the land with the assistance of tractors from the Parks Department
and the protection of the police. The police have been very helpful
in rendering assistance for this purpose. During the year the Public
Health Inspectors made no less than 186 visits to gipsy encampments.
The owners of a number of these pieces of land have been
persuaded to fence them in or to form other barriers to keep the
gipsies off and the Council have authorised expenditure for the
erection of barriers on pieces of land where the owners are not
known.
It is hoped that by these means the gipsies will eventually be
dissuaded from visiting this town.
(vii) Prevention of Damage by Pests Act, 1949
It is the duty of every local authority, under the above act, to
take such steps as may be necessary to secure as far as practicable
that their district is kept free from rats and mice.
The local authority also have a specific liability to ensure,
as far as practicable, that all land and buildings occupied by them
are kept free from rats and mice. This includes Parks, Recreation
Grounds, Schools and Public Buildings and all sewers vested in the
local authority.
It is not widely known; but it is the duty of the occupier or
owner of any premises to notify the local authority of the presence
or rats or mice on land that they occupy and it is in fact the
responsibility of the occupier to take steps to rid their premises of
these pests.
This Council have however provided a service for this purpose
over a number of years, and one Rodent Officer is employed in the
Health Department. This Officer is provided with a van and the
necessary equipment to trace and deal with all forms of infestation.
1 his service is provided free to all ratepayers in the district.
During the past year 463 notifications were received of infestations
and the Public Health Inspectors and Rodent Officer carried
out 3,857 inspections and reinspections of premises and all necessary
measures were taken to eradicate the rats and mice.
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