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22
Insect Pest Centrol.
Insect Pest Control and maintenance treatments
with regard to cockroacbes, flies etc. are carried out
by the Department in all types of premises. It should
ue remembered that practically every foodstuff or material
has its own particular pest, e.g., the bacon beetle,
flour moth, cocoa moth and carpet beetle, to name only
a few.
Not many complaints are now received concerning
insects which were once common pests, namely, bugs, fleas
and lice; with regard to other insect pestsp the Department
is often called upon, and is ready to give advice
on the means of dealing with them.
15. RAG FLOCK ACT, 1951.
There are in the Borough four premises registered
under the provisions of the Act for upholstering or bedding
manufacture. No samples of material were taken during 1954.
SECTIOND
HOUSING
The Housing Repairs and Rents Act, 1954 was passed
in July and came into force in August. The Act, among
other things, contains provision, in certain circumstances,
for the raising of rents, the increase in rent being contingent
upon the premises being maintained in good repair.
The main intention of the Act was to arrest, as
far as possible, the deterioration which is taking place
in the older type of property, due to the greatly increased
cost of repair and maintenance.
By the end of the year 56 applications had been
received for Certificates of Disrepair; 54 of these related
to cases where the landlords had applied for an increase of
rente In all cases Certificates were granted. It is thereby
implied that, whilst the owners had satisfied the expenditure
testp the properties were not in sufficiently good repair to
justify a rent increase, At the end of the year in only one
ease had the necessary repairs been carried out, and the
Certificate revoked.
Mush of the improvement which is obvious in the
"old controlled" houses is due to the fact that they are
being purchased by the tenanta, or, where they become vacant,
they are being sold for occupation by the owner.
Action taken during the year under the provisions of
the Housing Act was as followsg:-