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59
The daughter of the deceased, not being able to incur the
expense of travelling backwards and forwards from Littlehampton,
signed a written request to Hackney Borough Council
to dispose of any effects which her father had in the rooms in
question and to apply the proceeds towards the cost of the
burial.
Acting upon this the effects of the deceased were removed
to storage at the Disinfecting Station, Hackney, pending
disposal.
Removal of the effects also enabled Stoke Newington
Council to obtain possession of the rooms for the purpose of
re-letting.
Each case dealt with under this new legislation is reported to
the Public Health Committee for approval of the action taken,
since it does not seem possible to give a general direction as to the
cases in which the expenses should fall upon the Council and those
cases in which expenses should be recovered from liable relatives
as provided by the Act.
RODENT CONTROL.
Rats and Mice.—Active measures were taken during the year
to deal with rat and mice infestations in the Borough, but the
number of complaints of surface infestations showed no appreciable
signs of abatement.
Each complaint of rat infestation is referred to the Rodent
Officer, who makes a preliminary inspection and arranges for
examination of the drains of the premises and also the adjoining
properties if this appears desirable, for taking up floorboards, and
any other steps necessary to trace the source from which rats are
gaining access to the buildings.
Tracing the source of an infestation from drains, etc., often
involves a great deal of work, for it might be necessary to examine
the drains of several houses before the defective drain is discovered
from which the rats are escaping. Then there is the formal procedure
under the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, to be followed,
in order to remedy the defective conditions found as a result of the
rat investigation.