108 FINANCE 



discovered and can be punished. At the end of every 

 year the amount of oil may again be put out to tender 

 and the cheapest offer accepted ; perhaps an economy 

 may be effected in this way. So much oil may not 

 be required as before ; the exact amount required 

 can be estimated from the foremen's notebooks. 

 After a time, when the mosquitos have almost com- 

 pletely disappeared, the staff employed may be cur- 

 tailed ; but this should be done cautiously. By a 

 little foresight and thought, the area of water surface 

 to be dealt with every week may be reduced. At 

 Port Said, when we started, we found 400 cellars in 

 the town flooded with sewage from leaking cesspools. 

 These cellars were underground catacombs of sewage, 

 having 7,296 square metres of water surface to be 

 dealt with every week. They were therefore filled up 

 with sand from the seashore. It was done by the 

 landlords as described in a former chapter. Occa- 

 sionally assistance was given by grants from the 

 mosquito fund, for it was realised that a dry cellar 

 is cheaper than constant oiling. 



Then again, in rainy climates, domestic mosquitos 

 will sometimes breed in holes in trees, or in puddles 

 in walls, or in backyards. Detail one workman, and 

 give him some cement and a trowel, and he will pro- 

 duce an economy of several pounds in the annual oil- 

 bill. The foreman must be charged not to leave a 

 full oil-cart in the hot sun or it will become leaky, 

 or even burst, and the oil will be wasted. Much 

 money may be saved by attending to small items of 

 this nature. In large open water collections oil may 



