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Complaints recorded during the year totalled 1,395
Complaints received from the Housing Manager in connection
with requisitioned houses and included in the
above, amount to 996
Orders given to building contractors to execute repairs to
requisitioned houses numbered 1,127
Rats and Mice Destruction
The Council maintained their free treatment for infestations in surface
Property and the good work has been maintained by the Council's rodent
operator. Details of the work carried out are given below.
At meetings during the year the Public Health Committee discussed
the advisability of treating the sewers for rodent infestation and on 8th
December, 1947, work of rodent destruction in sewers commenced and was
continued into 1948.
Some difficulty existed in getting suitable staff for this work and it
was found necessary to operate with one gang of three men instead of
with two gangs, as originally arranged.
The work involved was divided into three separate operations:—
(1) A survey was made of the entire Borough and the number
of manholes to be used was accurately ascertained and recorded.
The figure of 700 obtained from the sewer maps and upon which
the estimate for work was based was found to be inaccurate and
altogether some 1,300 manholes were recorded.
(2) Men from the Borough Surveyor's Department were
engaged for some weeks in freeing manholes and marking the same.
(3) The first treatment was made with sausage rusk used as
a prebait and rusk and zinc phosphide as a poison.
A fourth operation was to follow, with the use of bread mash as a
pre-bait and bread mash and arsenic as a poison.
The treatment will not be completed until the end of March, 1948.
The Ministry of Food (now Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries),
co-operated by supplying trays, depositors, etc., and the method used was
that prescribed by that Ministry. Every assistance has been rendered by
the Ministry through their Divisional Rodent Officer (Mr. Marley) and
the Ministry's Inspector, Mr. Harris, and we are indebted to these officers
for that assistance.
Rodent record
Number of inspections made by Sanitary Inspectors 26
Complaints received 139
Number of baits laid (baiting points) 599
Number of baits laid 2,995
Number of baits taken 1,320
Estimated kill 1,172
Number of bodies found
Number of premises on which gas pump was used 17
Total number of visits made by rat catcher 2,242
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