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Depreciation of property and loss of rents and custom are items not 

 generally thought of in connection with rat damage. A few years 

 ago the writer knew of almost an entire block of city houses that 

 remained untenanted for several months because infested by rats. 

 As the houses were otherwise desirable, the loss of rent to the owners 

 was probably nearly $2,000. The presence of rats in markets, hotels, 

 and restaurants inevitably results in loss of custom, besides the direct 

 damage by the rodents. 



From every point of view the keeping of rats is exceedingly expen- 

 sive, and the sooner our population can be made to realize the enor- 

 mous drain upon our resources caused by these rodents the sooner 

 can concerted measures for their destruction be made effective. 



