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89
to free the articles from Cyanide. Tests are made to ensure that the furniture
is free from gas before being removed from the yard. Between 4.30 and 5.0
the same evening the furniture is driven to the new house and the bedding is
delivered about the same time. All the hopper windows, ventilators and access
doors to roof space are fixed so that they cannot be closed during the first night
of occupation. Mr. Couch, in every instance, is satisfied by further tests that
the house is safe for occupation before he leaves it.
Cyanide was also used on one occasion for the disinfestation of a block
of four houses on the Council's estate and the story of one of these illustrates
how difficult disinfestation may be on occasion. This house was treated, either
wholly or partially, with sulphur dioxide on six occasions and with orthodichlorbenzine
on two occasions. Within 48 hours the bed-bug was seen again
after each treatment. Obvious and concealed cavities were exposed and
treated but in spite of all these efforts the bed-bug still remained. It became
necessary to consider the question of the use of cyanide and as the other three
tenants in the block were also infested with bugs in greater or less degree, it
was decided to disinfest the whole block.
With the co-operation of the Housing Sub-Committee the four families
in the block were accommodated for two nights in four flats, the bedding, etc.,
being supplied by the Council from existing stores. The premises were sealed
up late in the afternoon and were opened about 1.0 o'clock the next morning.
On this occasion a successful issue was obtained.
(4) At different times during the year experiments were made with other
disinfestants—proprietory and otherwise—with greater or less success. Nothing
however, was discovered which justified extensive use.
It is becoming more and more clear that until someone discovers something
simpler to use than any of the three mentioned above, consideration must be
given to improving the technique in each instance, or reducing the cost. In
this connection towards the end of the year the Council decided to establish a
Clearing House on the new housing estate in order to deal with blocks already
infested from which the bug could not be eradicated by other methods and also
to reduce the cost of cyanide disinfestation by eliminating the cost of removals.
Under this scheme the prospective tenants who will occupy a complete block
of four or six dwellings make their own arrangements for furniture removal
to the new houses on a day fixed by the Department. Their furniture is then
placed in two rooms in each of the new dwellings in the same block. These
rooms are sealed up and used as containers for cyanide. The tenants sleep
for two nights in the clearing house where they are provided with bedding,
furnishing, light and heating.