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combed to find out where rats existed and to destroy them, and
to put into effect the obligations in regard to test baiting of all
the soil sewers in the area and the necessary maintenance treatments
where pockets of infestations were discovered.
The method to be employed could not be left to casual
complaints. As far as possible all premises infested had to be
discovered and dealt with. This could be done in two ways.
The first would be to engage investigation officers who would
visit every house in the district. Although the cost of investigation
officers would have been reimbursed 100% I considered
the cost to be unwarranted, the difficulty of obtaining suitable
men at the time for a restricted period of engagement ruled
against this method and the number of revisits to people who
were out at work all day provided another objection. Just prior
to the adoption of these schemes I had conducted a vigorous
campaign in the self-contained Kingston Vale area. This was
done by circularising each householder and proved very successful,
prompting me to adopt a similar method over the whole
area. In other words the co-operation of the public was invited.
This method was accepted by the Ministry.
The district was divided into 18 sub-areas carefully delineated
so that each could be taken individually, in sequence, and
to a carefully prepared timetable. Some two or three weeks
before actual operations were commenced all the householders
in each area were circularised and asked to return a form stating
whether or not they had any trouble with rats or mice. Primary
visits were made to those houses where infestations had been
indicated. In addition, however, other houses in the neighbourhood
were visited to ensure that no unrecognised infestations had
been missed.
To carry out the scheme successfully needed adequate staff
and in addition to the senior rodent officer, three men operatives
were engaged more or less constantly throughout the year. In
addition, to relieve the senior rodent officer of much clerical
work, one clerk was engaged whole time in keeping records.
For the treatment of sewers the staff was reinforced for certain
limited periods by two sewermen from the borough engineer's
department.
Fine weather was essential for the sewer treatments and the
first three weeks were occupied in test baiting throughout the
area whilst awaiting the first replies from No. 1 sub-district.
Baiting of sewers is a laborious operation, one in every ten soil
sewer manholes had to be baited with sausage rusk (unpoisoned)
to discover 'takes'. The actual number baited was 292. Specially