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28
RAG FLOCK ACT, 1911.
Four samples of rag flock were analysed and reported on during the year. They contained 22,
20, 15 and 9 parts of chlorine per 100,000, the limit set by the Regulations being 30 parts.
FOULING OF FOOTPATHS BY DOGS.
Towards the end of 1921, the Council succeeded in obtaining the approval of the following
by-law for the good rule and government of the Royal Borough:—
" No person being in charge of a dog in any street or public place and having the dog on a
lead shall allow or permit such dog to deposit its excrement upon the public footway.
" Any person offending against this by-law shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding 40s.
" This by-law shall cease to be in force after the 31st day of December, 1923, unless a
by-law confirming and continuing its provisions has been duly made and come into
force before that date."
This by-law was made in pursuance of Section 23 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882,
Section 16 of the Local Government Act, 1888, and Section 5 of the London Government Act,
1889.
In 1923 the by-law was sanctioned without limit of time and the Council now have a permanent
measure by which they can secure a considerable improvement in the cleanliness of the public
footways.
The Council have issued leaflets which have been posted on lamp-posts and in various places
in the Borough, and delivered by hand to a large number of dog-owners. Attention has been
called to the by-law by slips attached to the rate demand notices and the matter has received
notice in the local press.
Two officers in the Public Health Department make observations and during 1927 they reported
nine breaches of the by-law to the Public Health Committee. Summonses were taken out, and
fines of £1 in one case and 10/- in eight cases were imposed.
The number of convictions under this by-law during the past six years is 19.
THE RATS AND MICE (DESTRUCTION) ACT, 1919.
A Rat Officer is employed to assist in the work of rat destruction under the supervision of
the Sanitary Inspectors. He has carried out good work during the year as is evidenced by the
following table:—
Number of individual premises visited by the Rat Officer
on receipt of complaint 181
Total number of visits paid 2,730
Number of poison baits laid during the year 95,490
„ „ disappeared 86,910
„ ,, removed by the Rat Officer 8,580
Number of premises where concreting of basement floors has
been carried out under the direction of Sanitary Inspectors
to prevent the ingress of rats 17
Number of premises where other repairs have been carried
out under the direction of Sanitary Inspectors to prevent
the ingress of rats 97
Number of sewer defects allowing egress of rats made good 14
Number of Statutory Notices served under the Rats and
Mice (Destruction) Act, 1919 3
Number of premises cleared of rats 54
An account of the methods of destruction adopted by the Rat Officer appears in the report for
1923.
During the National Rat Week Campaign, held in November, the following special measures
were adopted.
Sewers.—Six pairs of flushers were placed at the disposal of the Council's Rat Officer to
assist him in the laying of baits of barium in the entrances to sewers. In South Kensington
100 entrances were baited daily and in North Kensington 92, the baits disappearing in the
majority of cases between the flushers' daily visits. Thirty thousand barium baits in all
were laid in the sewer entrances during the week.
Wood Lane and Warwick Road Depots.—Three thousand barium baits were laid in the
metal and other dumps at Wood Lane and all disappeared. The Council's depot in Warwick
Road was found to be free from rats.