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THE RAT MENACE

MINISTER OF HEALTH DEMANDS DRASTIC MEASURES

MORE CAREFUL INSPECTION REQUIRED

The Minister of Health (the Hon. C. J. Parr) has forwarded the following memorandum to the Director-General of Health (Dr. Watt), urging more careful inspection of premises and increased precautions against the rat menace: —

“Jily personal investigations over the last few days convince me that there are many negligent and culpable people who will heed no warnings. It is of no use an inspector merely talking to a shopkeeper and asking him to kill rats. "What happens? In five cases out of ten the shopkeeper simply goes to sleep. In my judgment, no inspector is worth his salt who does not follow up his warning and see the work is done. Hitherto, I regret to say, this has not been always the practice by some inspectors. The time has gone by for notices and remonstrances. I require prosecutions.

“I was told by an inspector the other day that ho could not get sufficient material for a prosecution. That man was going about with his eyes shut. “The Minister- to-day is placed in this position-., that any jioliceman or Press reporter can give him more information in ten minutes about rat conditions in the city than the men who are paid by the council and the Government to do the job. The inspectors as a rule are good men, but some are too easy and apathetic. The time for exhorting and advising has gone. Wherever an inspector finds conditions likely to harbour or feed rats, a piece of 'blue paper from the Court should reach the proprietor within twenty-four hours. The enemy is not only’ the rat, b.ut an extraordinary apathy in the average man. Therefore in the public interests the law must now be vigorously invoiced.” The Minister has sent (he fol owing letter to the Mayor (Mr. R. A. M right) regarding conditions in the city, and expressing the opinion that more drastic measures are required:— “The Director of Public Hygiene iDr. Watt) confirms tho report given in yesterday’s Dominion of the conditions obtaining at your council’s destructor and stables. The Director is satisfied that the council officials have not shown much activity in trapping and P® l5 ™ 1 - in- rats about the destructor and the stables. He is glad to notice that the matter is being taken m hand, but in his opinion there has been obvious negligence in this quarter. May I ask you to give the matter your immediate attention? , , “Further, may T suggest to you that, as in Auckland, three expert rat-catchers and two poisoners should 'be kept employed from now on by the council. “I should like to enforce upon the ~t-tention tention of the city authorities Hie warnin- given by me hi Parliament last week' I feel satisfied that the rat conditions in this town at the present moment constitute a grave menace to the public health, and this state of things will continue so long as. thro fl ’ carelessness and negligence of sho l ,k ® P P ers, hotelkeepers and en food Stuffs and comestibles are eft about o furnish sustenance for rodents. drasHc measures and prosecuHons now, in my opinion, will meet the ca»e.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19211215.2.67

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 70, 15 December 1921, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
536

THE RAT MENACE Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 70, 15 December 1921, Page 8

THE RAT MENACE Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 70, 15 December 1921, Page 8

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