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rats are discovered. The trapping may be carried out by professional
rat-catchers or, in some cases, by members of the crew, under the
supervision of the officers of the Port Sanitary Authority.
(b) Premises in the vicinity of Docks and Quays. The Port of London Authority
constantly carry out methods of rat-destruction ashore in the Port. Trapping
is the method principally employed, but the Authority are always ready to
test any new method of rat-destruction that is brought to their notice. The
condition of all shore premises is under the constant supervision of the
Sanitary Inspectors and Assistant Rat Officers of the Port Sanitary Authority,
who draw the attention of the officers of the Port of London Authority to any
signs of rat-infestation they may discover.
(4) Measures taken for the detection of rat prevalence in ships and on shore:—
Examination by Inspectors and Assistant Rat Officers, as already described.
(5) Rat-proofing:—
The Port of London Authority have, during the year, continued their scheme of
rat-proofing in the Docks and Warehouses. No rat Plague has occurred on shore in
the Port for 15 years, and the policy of the Port of London Authority in constantly
applying methods of rat-destruction and progressively rat-proofing the Docks and
Warehouses has been an important factor in keeping the Port of London free from
Plague infection.
PUBLIC HEALTH (DERATISATION OF SHIPS) REGULATIONS, 1929.
One thousand and fifty-five Certificates were issued under the above Regulations
during the year, 171 being Deratisation Certificates and 884 being Certificates of
Exemption from Deratisation. The total is 184 less than last year, due partly to the
depression in trade and partly to the increase in the number of ports abroad in which
Certificates under Article 28 of the International Sanitary Convention, 1926, can
be obtained.
A second year of experience in carrying out the terms of Article 28 of the
Convention has confirmed the opinion that it is workable with a Staff of men of
ordinary powers of observation and intelligence, provided they are conscientious,
that it is satisfactory to Port Health Authorities and that it is fair to the Shipowners.
In London a Certificate of Exemption from Deratisation may only be granted
to a ship if there is no evidence at all of rats or the fresh evidence is only slight and
limited to one or two compartments. If the fresh evidence is slight but generalised
throughout the holds or superstructure, exemption is refused and deratisation is
required. If there is any evidence at all of rats, however slight, and even if the issue
of an Exemption Certificate is contemplated, traps must be set in every compartment
where there is evidence, that is to say, however few the rats, an attempt is made to
get rid of them. Further, if a vessel is likely to remain in the Port for a considerable
time, she is kept under regular observation during the stay and test trapping is carried
out. A graphic record is kept of the previous inspections of every ship using the Port,
and in border-line cases the previous history of the ship (i.e., the period since the last
fumigation, the result of previous fumigations, whether in previous exemptions the
vessel has been absolutely clear or there has been slight evidence, the trade route
and the nature of the cargo) is considered and influences the decision.
In addition to the graphic record of the previous history, a card index is kept
with a card for every ship. On this card is recorded, amongst other information, the
date of the last Certificate of Deratisation or Exemption. Every morning a clerk
goes through the list of ships arriving the previous day, picks out the appropriate
cards and notifies each sanitary inspector of the ships in his district which are due
for renewal of their certificates. In addition, the sanitary inspectors ask on board each
ship for the production of the current Certificate of Deratisation or Exemption. Each
sanitary inspector has an assistant rat officer under him. When a vessel is due for
examination the assistant rat officer takes a form which is practically a copy of the part