251 



(6) Suspend or cause to be suspended over the side of the vessel against the whan-, 

 or against any lighter alongside, electric or other effective lights, distributed so as to 

 afford from sunset to sunrise thorough illumination fore and aft along the whole side 01 

 the vessel. 



137. (1) The owner or master of any vessel shall 



(a) Keep all foodstuffs and food refuse in rat-proof and mouse-proof receptacles; 



(&) Thoroughly flush out and afterwards empty the bilges before berthing at any port; 



(c) Keep on board the vessel a dog or a cat or both efficient for rat and mouse 

 killing, and give it or them constant access to those parts of the vessel where rats or 

 mice may harbor; 



(d) Set and keep set in sufficient numbers and in suitable places metal break-back 

 traps or other effective traps for rats and mice; and 



(2) When so ordered by a quarantine officer, shall 



(a) Lay on the vessel poison baits effective for rats and mice; 



(6) Submit the holds and other such parts of the vessel as the quarantine officer 

 directs to sulphur fumigation in accordance with this regulation, or to some other 

 method of fumigation approved by the director of quarantine. Sulphur fumigation 

 shall be effected by passing sulphur fumes into the vessel under pressure, and at the 

 same time exhausting the air in the parts of the vessel under fumigation, and shall be 

 continued until all parts of the vessel under fumigation are filled with a gaseous mixture 

 of a strength of not less than 3 per cent of sulphur oxides, and are kept so filled for at 

 least eight hours. 



The fumigation shall, if the quarantine officer so orders, be carried out in the stream 

 or away from a wharf. 



(c) Clean, wash, or spray all portions of the vessel likely to harbor or afford shelter 

 to vermin, with an approved insecticidal solution effective for the killing of fleas, lice, 

 bugs, and other vermin; and 



(d) Flush, cleanse, disinfect, or empty all lavatories, water tanks, or any closed-in 

 space on board the vessel, and cause to be produced for disinfection any articles 

 desired by the quarantine officer. 



In Sydney, it was stated by the president of the department of 

 public health that steady, systematic poisoning and trapping of rats 

 were done all the year round, and that this had been the case for the 

 past eight years. The experience there had been that mineral poisons 

 were found to answer best, and that organic viruses had been found 

 to be not practically successful. 



In Melbourne, rat destruction was carried on by the board of public 

 health of Victoria and by the local health authorities under the Victorian 

 health act of 1890. As stated in the report of ConsulJ. M. Jewell, the 

 board of public health restricts its operations to shipping wharves, to 

 shores, and banks of the River Yarra upon which Melbourne is situated. 

 Since 1900, the board had had a staff of men continually engaged in 

 distributing poison baits. In order to prevent the passage of rats to 

 and from vessels, certain specific berthing restrictions were in force. 

 In addition, fumigation of vessels was practiced under the supervision 

 of the board's officers. The board had continually urged the various 

 municipal authorities to maintain the crusade against rats and render 

 dwellings rat proof. 



The consul also stated that the local municipal councils paid a 

 bonus for every rat, and that the fee was then 4 cents. 



