222 



Rat Destruction 



[JUNE, 



of this duty, more than 130 have appointed officers to administer 

 the Act. Of these, 31 are special appointments of whole-time 

 officers ; to the remainder is entrusted the work of organising 

 and supervising rat destruction in addition to their ordinary 

 duties. The Ministry is in communication with those 

 Authorities which have not yet appointed rat officers, and on 

 these has been urged the necessity for making such appoint- 

 ments as those described. The Ministry also points out that 

 the necessary measures can be organised on lines that are 

 practically self-supporting. No cost falls of necessity on the 

 general body of ratepayers. While substantial progress has 

 been made since the Rats and Mice (Destruction) Act became 

 operative, much yet remains to be done. 



One gratifying feature of the work is the fact that the 

 number of rat clubs is increasing. In Kent, the Rat Officer 

 has increased the number of clubs from 14 to 72, repre- 

 senting loi parishes. He is desirous, however, to see the w^hole 

 administrative county adequately covered by these organisa- 

 tions. Lindsey, in Lincolnshire, has established 38 rat clubs. 



The work done hy Bristol during the Third National Rat 

 Week is particularly praiseworthy. The Local Authority of 

 the City applied for and distributed no less than 263,400 rat 

 baits, exclusive of over 5,000 baits laid by the Rat Officer in 

 docks, and 7,500 in sewers. During the same week, Exeter 

 distributed over 6,000 rat baits, and Carmarthen County 

 nearly 1,500, together with 2,500 mouse baits. The bills of rat 

 mortality further include a record of 60,000 rats destroyed 

 during seven months in Nottinghamshire, 18,000 in Dover 

 during the past year, 41,000 in the North Riding of Yorkshire, 

 and 80,000 in Hertfordshire, during a period of four months. 

 In one of the metropolitan boroughs, where it was assumed 

 that the number of rats was negligible, it was found, on 

 investigation, that the borough was overrun. In one factory 

 alone the damage to foodstuffs was estimated at £15 a night. 

 The extent to which the rats throve on the food they consumed 

 is shown by the fact that some of the carcasses turned the scale 

 at 2 lb. each. In districts where the food supply was not so 

 plentiful, the weight averaged only 8 oz. 



A Research Laboratory has now been established by the 

 Ministry with the object of endeavouring to discover rat poisons 

 that are not injurious to domestic animals. The aid of science 

 is also enlisted to improve the poisons already in use. 



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