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112
The survey does not show excessively high rodent infestations,but
their activities are fairly widespread.

A summary of properties visited and infestations found is contained
in Appendix 20.
Our rodent operatives have carried out five treatments using stupifying
bait against feral pigeons, and 147 were destroyed.
A contractor has been used in two instances where it was impossible
to use baity and by netting and shooting 400 pigeons were dealt within
one case and 100 in the other.
Housing
In my last report I stated that the Borough was fortunate in not
having large areas of sub-standard houses which were ripe for clearance
and also that due to the Rent Act, better standard of wages, and enthusiastic
"Do-it-yourselfers" many houses had been made fit for roughly
the price of materials only. This in combination with the Governments
new policy of saying old houses and improving them where possible to
the 5-Point Standard with the aid of Standard/Discretionary grants led
to a complete survey of the existing 5-year slum clearance programme,
as a result of which many areas were removed from the programme and a
new five year scheme was submitted to and approved by the Council
The new programme consists of 131 houses plus a possible 15 individual
unfit houses compared with the original list of 287 properties. These
figures indicate the smallness of the unfit housing problem within the
Borough, but nevertheless it is anticipated that whatever area is submitted
as a Clearance Area, objections will be received from owners,