12500 PATS IN ONE HOTEL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 2

1 2500 PATS IN ONE HOTEL.

BIG HAUL IN LONDON’S VERMIN WAR. (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, April 30. Great slaughter, and the capture of thousands of prisoners, has resulted from the City of London big push against rats. The report of the Medical Officer of Health for last year, issued yesterday, records that the use of various traps alone has accounted for no fewer than 2500 rats in one London hotel during the last, three and a half years. But the cat lias made a meritorious effort to regain his reputation as the hereditary enemy of the rat. “Several firms in the citj* have had good, results from introducing cats into their buildings,” says the report. ‘“'Large numbers are kept at some of the wharves, and one firm of wharfingers in Lower Thames Street keeps no fewer than fifty.” SHOCK TROOPS. While office and warehouse cats carried out effective nieht raids* the real shock troops employed against tho enemy were, as usual, the professional rat-catchers. They claim during the year to have accounted for 21.202 rats in the city area. Simultaneously with the more spectacular combat waged by the cats and rat-catchers, tho strength of the epeiny lias been sapped steadily in a war of attrition underground. Sewer rats are being driven from their Vick and concrete strongholds b.v a sustained poison attack. Says tbe report: ‘“The city engineer has informed the Medical Officer that during T?at Week the ordinary use of poisoned bait in the sewers was augmented bv an organised drive, carried out in those sewers where rats were most likely to be found He also states that generally the number of rats in the citv sewers appears to be decreasing, and tbis ho attributes to th© reduction in the number of breeding-places through tho systematic bricking-np of disused sewers and drains, and t-lj** repairing of defective ones, and the regitiar use of various baits.”