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614 business premises were surveyed and 107 infestations
were found. The results were as follows:—
Cleared on first treatment 91
Cleared on second treatment 10
Cleared on third treatment 6
The number of individual visits made was 1,304.
It can be estimated that about 8-9% of all premises in the
area were found to have some evidence of rat infestation.
In addition to the work on sewers, private dwellings and
business premises extensive measures were taken on the Council's
own property such as the refuse destructor, sewage disposal
works, controlled tip, allotments etc.
An unexpected result was that, generally speaking, the
older parts of the district revealed a lower percentage of premises
infested than the more modern.
The scheme has now been extended for the financial year
1948/49 with certain financial and other modifications but, more
or less, on the same lines as for the year 1947/8.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A new obligation has been imposed on the Council by Section
50 of the National Assistance Act, 1948. This provides that it
shall be the duty of the local authority to cause to be buried
or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found
dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the Authority
that no suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have
been or are being made otherwise than by the authority. The
cost may be recovered from the estate of the deceased person
or from any other person who for the purposes of the Act was
liable to maintain the deceased person immediately before his
death. It is also provided that sub-section (5) of Section 22
of the National Insurance Act, 1922 (which enables the Minister
of National Insurance to make payments to certain authorities
out of the National Insurance fund in respect of the cost of
burial or cremation of certain persons) shall apply to local
authorities such as this Council. This, however, is not operative
in the case of deaths occurring before the 5th July, 1949. One
instance occurred during the six months ended the 31st December,
1948, where this duty had to be undertaken by the Council.
The case was one where it was not possible to recover the cost
of burial or any part thereof.