THE LOATHSOME RAT

Evening Star, Issue 16909, 5 December 1918, Page 2

THE LOATHSOME RAT

WAR OP EXTERMINATION URGED BY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. The danger to tho public health from rata formed the subject of a lengthy communication to the Auckland City Council last week from the District Health Officer, who urged that a vigorous campaign should be instituted with a view to bringing death and destruction to •this four-footed foliower of civilisation. Dr Hughes pointed out that plague was prim only a, disease of the rat. It was communicated from tho plaguestricken rat to other rats, and from rata to men by means of fioa-= aa the principal agent. Mid; it had been determined mam- tim.es that handling a rat that had been dead of plague only a few hours gave tho infcciior. almost instantaneously. The rat flea, however, was the chief inoculator. It fed on tho infected blood! of the plague rat, JFfeas abandoned a. rat dead of the plague, and went in search of living beings. Biting a man, rat fle-as inoculated into him the living virus they had obtained from the Hoed of tho infected ral, and thus passed on tho disease to man. He pointed out that so long as people knew tho plague had gained an ■entrtinoo among them, tho efforts of citizens, in co-operation with local bodies, greatly advanced the work of cutting down tho rat population. However, once the cessation of human cases, oven though tba infection among rodents might be unaffected or oven increasing, thces efforts ceased. It was expedient that rats in every part of fha city E'houkl bo destroyed; wherefore the department urged that measures be undertaken *by the various local authorities for the destruction of rodents beforo any actual invasion of plague occurred. Trapping and poisoning were the most readily available method-. The chief methods of destruction recommended were: (1) Adoption of aa organised scheme for the wholesale destruction of rats, otc (2) The use of professional ra.t-catchc.ns to trap them. (5) Payment of a small reward per rat to private individuate for trapping them. Details wore given regarding the various patterns of t:'aps and tho most suitable baits and poisona. Tho question, was referred to the Works Committee, tbo Mayor remarking that the councii had at all times prosecuted a vigorous campaign against rats.