HUGE RAT BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 113, 14 May 1937, Page 5

HUGE RAT BILL.

£1,000,000 A YEAR.

SYDNEY'S TROUBLES.

CITY COUNCIL NOT BLAMED

SYDNEY, May 3. As many rats as human beings live in Sydney—more than 1.000.000. Every rat eats or destroys goods worth Ad a day, so that Sydney's bill for rats is about fi.000.000 a year. In a report to the City Council's .health committee, the City Health 'Officer (Dr. Dunn) regretted that councils in municipalities adjoining the city 'did not employ ratcatcher*. "While the City Council employs a staff of seven ratcatcher*." he said, "the i Maritime Services Board and the Public Health Department employ only two each, and they could with advantage increase the number." J Ratproofing of fond premises was I being enforced by the council, he said. i Notices had been served on thousand* of i property owner* to render their premises ratproof. Seek Co-operation. The health committee decided to seek the co-operation of municipal councils i bordering the city in rat prevention through the Metropolitan Medical Offijeer (Dr. Drew). I Alderman Marks announced that tlu i Maritime Services Board had agreed tc I increase its ratcatching staff. I "The city has done its fair share oi the work in the past," he added, "anc I 1 do not think that the City Council car be in any way blamed for any existing Hack of organisation." f ; Authorities admit that nil methods o - poisoning, trapping and ratproofing havi ? been unsuccessful in wiping out rats ? due to their remarkable fecundity. Ratcatching staffs are maintained s , largely as intelligence corps, to provid ij early knowledge of any outbreak o i plague.

Mysterious Visits. The Metropolitan Medical Officer of Health said that the rat position in Sydney was about stationary at present, but efforts must never be relaxed.

Hutu had a habit of appearing suddenly in large numbers and then just «* suddenly disappearing adequate reason for these appearances and disappearances had been found. Dr. Drew added that several municipal councils maintained ratcatchers, and I the position in the suburbs was constantlv under review.