Sixty-sixth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington.
- Islington (London, England). Metropolitan Borough.
- Date:
- 1922
Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Credit: Sixty-sixth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![1921] 36 Metropolitan Borough of Islington. RATS AND MICE (DESTRUCTION) ACT, 1919. This Act came into Operation on 1st January, 1920. PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO DESTROY RATS AND MICE. Any person who shall fail to take such steps as may from time to time be necessary and reasonably practicable for the destruction of rats and mice on or in any land of which he is the occupier, or for preventing such land from becoming infested with rats and mice, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding Five Pounds, or where he has been served with a notice under this Act requiring him to take such steps, not exceedirg Twenty Pounds. The expression Occupier means, in the case of land not occupied by any tenant or other person, the owner of the land. The expression Land includes any buildings, and any other erection on land, and any cellar, sewer, drain or culvert in or under land. This Act shall apply to a vessel (such as a barge on the Regent's Canal) as if the vessel were Land and the master of the vessel shall be deemed to be the Occupier thereof. Methods and Preventive Measures. The most effective methods for destroying rats and mice embrace the use of traps, snares, ferrets, dogs, fumigation, and the use of poisons. The safest poisons have been found to be preparations of squills and barium carbonate. Poison should be laid in such a way that human beings, domestic animals, poultry, etc., cannot obtain access to it. The laying of baits containing any poison should be carried out with the utmost care. The actual amount laid in each single rat-hole or burrow should be as small as possible to obtain the results aimed at. The position of these places should be noted, and any dead rats found afterwards should be burnt or destroyed to prevent domestic animals getting at the carcases. Previous to the laying of poisons the owners of poultry, dogs, pigs and other animals frequenting or likely to come near places where poison has been laid should be warned, and, after an interval of a few days, all unconsumed baits should be removed and destroyed. Attention should be specially directed to all drains, waste, food and grain stores and stacks, etc. Persons desiring information on the subject of rat or mice destruction, or experiencing any difficulty in obtaining suitable materials for that purpose, should apply to The Medical Officer of Health, Town Hall, Upper Street. Islington, N.I., to whom all complaints should be addressed. Town Hall, Upper Street, N. 1. C. G. E. FLETCHER, 22nd January, 1920. Town Clerk. The temporary appointment of a Rat Officer was made by the Council on the 26th January, 1920, to carry out the provisions of the Act, and the following statement shows the work performed by him during the undermentioned periods: SUMMARY OF WORK FROM RAT OFFICER'S REPORTS DURING THE YEARS 1920-21. 1921 1920 Number of Streets visited 669 607 Number of Private Houses visited 805 945 Number of Shops and Factories visited 1,034 1,326 Total Premises inspected 1,839 2,271 Found Rat Infested 1,406 1,355 Found Mice Infested 55 196 Defective Drains Repaired (Cause of Rat trouble) 45 34 Number of Complaints received 175 172](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/B18222250_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
