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Offensive Trades and Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act
These apparently widely differing subjects are grouped together because they are interrelated.
The Offensive Trades are concerned with the offals, condemned meat and butchers waste.
They provide an important service to the community by processing this waste which would otherwise
be deposited at the refuse tips where it would attract rodents. From the waste are produced
tallow, gelatine, bone meal and greaves.
Greaves forms the basis for many animal feeding stuffs. The degreased bones and fibre are
ground separately and mixed with other ingredients and sold as poultry, pig, calf and other such
feeds. Over 126 different varieties are produced in this Borough. Regular samplings of these
products has been carried out and has often resulted in improvements in processing and avoidance
of nuisance to the public.
Pest Control
Investigations are carried out by the Pest Control Officer and his Assistant to confirm
the type of infestation and to decide the type of bait to be used. The regular and continuous
baiting of public sewers has been carried out and has kept the rat population at a low level.
Statistics show a steady rise in operational visits against rodents and this is mostly due
to the Warfarin nesistance in mice. Operations against bed bugs and other insect pests have
continued to be necessary despite the introduction of residual insecticides. This may be partly
due to more properties being centrally heated, thus extending the normal breeding time of the
pests and partly due to insecticitle resistance. These conditions lead to more operational visits
being necessary and changes of insecticides have to be made in order to eliminate these pests.
Many operations have been carried out against feral pigeons by narcotising in order to
contain their numbers. This is carried out under licence from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food, and a representative of the Ministry is usually present at each operation.
The public could help very considerably by not feeding these birds, as unlike the wood pigeon
which normally has no more than two broods of two eggs each year, the feral pigeon if nesting
conditions and food supplies are satisfactory, are known to have up to six broods in twelve
months, and this alone gives one an indication of the size of the problem if no containment were
attempted. The damage these birds cause to buildings, regardless of the disfigurement, is large
and they are known to carry certain diseases capable of being transmitted to human beings.
Housing
Houses in multiple occupation require a disproportionate amount of attention from the
Public Health Inspectorate. In this Borough over 5,000 houses are known to be in multiple
occupation and a special Section has been set up to deal solely with these houses. Owing to the
constant change of management of houses in multiple occupation, Notices have frequently to be
served more than once causing considerable delay before repairs can be carried out and the
properties brought up to standard. Management Orders are now being used effectively and a
Registration Scheme has been prepared for Government approval.
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