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Reports. How the campaign against the beg-bug progressed during 1934 may be
conveniently considered now under several heads :—
(I) Variations in Routine Methods—
(a) The Disinfestation of Occupied Houses in Private Ownership.—The
routine method of disinfestation by sulphur dioxide followed in these cases
was described fully in my Annual Report for 1932 and no modification other
than those referred to in my Annual Report for 1933 took place during the
year. The number of rooms so disinfested during the year was 736.
(b) Occupied Houses belonging to the Council.—The same method of disinfestation
was followed in practically all cases but in one particularly intractable
infestation of a block of four houses temporary shelter was found for the occupiers
for two nights while the whole block was successfully treated with Cyanide
(Zyklon B). Excluding this block the number of rooms so disinfested during
the year was 220.
(c) Unoccupied Houses belonging to the Council.—The routine method
followed in these cases was spraying with orthodichlorbenzine. At the beginning
of the year this chemical was used undiluted but latterly mixtures of orthodichlorbenzine
and other chemicals of different strengths were experimented with,
e.g., carbon tetrachloride, methylated spirit and paraffin, in half and quarter
strengths. The number of rooms so treated was 415.
(d) Transfer of Bug-infested Tenants to New Houses on the Council's Estates.
—From the beginning of April the routine method of disinfestation was by
means of cyanide (Zyklon B), in hired furniture vans, but in a few instances bug
infested furniture was permitted to be taken to new houses, where it was treated
the same night with sulphur dioxide. This method gave satisfactory insecticidal
results but unfortunately the effect of sulphur in rooms where the plaster was
new caused damage to metal articles, looking glasses and marble slabs, as well
as to the plaster itself. For that reason this method which was only used as
a temporary expedient was discontinued. The number of instances where
cyanide disinfestation was carried out in hired vans was 57 and the number of
instances where sulphur was used in new houses was 14.
(e) Bug Infested Houses in Slum Areas.—Only a portion of one area was
dealt with by the Council during the year. In 1933 I represented an area of
some 67 hutments as unfit for human habitation. A Clearance Order was made
by the Council and subsequently confirmed by the Minister of Health. As
these huts became empty, those which were bug-infested were sprayed