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19
The following is a summary of the measures taken during the
year to deal with rat infestation:—
(a) Number of premises from which complaints
of rat infestation were received 957
(b) Total number of premises in which evidence
of rats was found and appropriate action
taken 1,193
(c) Number of poison baits laid by the Public
Health Dept. 10,152
(d) Number of premises at which other methods
were adopted 198
(e) Number of premises cleared of rats 1,116
It was not necessary during the year to call upon the services
of Messrs. Howard & Sons,, a firm of rat-catchers with whom the
Council has for many years had an arrangement for dealing with
rat-infested premises.
Aged and Infirm Persons Living under Insanitary Conditions.
—Action was necessary during the year as regards eight aged and
infirm persons who were living alone in sadly neglected conditions
as a result of their inability properly to care for themselves or to
receive care and attention from other persons. In four cases the
persons concerned voluntarily entered hospital following visits by
the district Sanitary Inspectors and Medical Officer of Health and
in two cases it was necessary to take action under Section 224 of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and Magistrates' Orders
were secured authorising compulsory removal to and detention in
hospital. In the remaining two cases it was possible to secure an
improvement in the conditions and thus to obviate the necessity for
removing tlhe persons to hospital.
INSPECTION AND SUPERVISION OF FOOD AND
FOOD PREMISES.
The inspection of food and food premises has continued to
engage the active attention of the Food Inspectors. Great care
has again had to be exercised in the examination of food in order to
conserve for human consumption as much as possible and to ensure
that all food not considered fit for the food of man was salvaged
either for animal feeding or industrial purposes.
The introduction of the Milk Rationalization Scheme reduced
the number of retailers supplying milk from adjoining Boroughs and
gave rise for a time to a number of complaints, mostly unjustified,