WAR ON MOSQUITOES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1923, Page 3

WAR ON MOSQUITOES

SYDNEY, July 12. The menace to health which is represented by the mosquito lias caused the municipal authorities iu Adelaide to prepare lor drastic action next summer. Some cities hate already taken action with I he (ihji-et of combating Hi" pest, but nothing en a very large scale lia> been dune, and the experiment is being watched with'keen interest . Following titioit a campaign on a smaller scale, which was undertaken with considerable since-, last slimmer it i- proposed to make it compulsory I■> have all tanks effectively screened. This has been done iu parts of Queensland ami West Australia, ami it was ..I advantage bull! to the "cruph r a' .J to the body administering the by-law. The cost of M-recniitg is c omparativei.v small, aml that method saves Hit 1 occupier time anil trouble. Screening also saves the administrative body the ex-pen-.e of maintaining a large stall, because reilispeet ion ol the premises is unnecessary, and it further eliminates practically any default depending on the human lad or. Ihe campaign will include all intensive attack ott South Adelaide io addition to a supervision of North Adelaide. An inspector will take cl large of the campaign a- a whole, ami lie will have at least three assistants one for North Adelaide and two for South Adelaide. The sanitary inspectors will also assist in tla- course of their systematic inspections. In North Adelaide the total uumher oi premises inspected last year was 2022. ami in 120(1 of these mosquito-hivedii-g was I - >iiii«l to he taking niace ill the rainwater tanks or iu other collections of water. The attention of tlu- occupiers was din-ctcd to the contravention « f the by-law. anil to the necessity for sidoni ing preventive measures; 1 M2 revisits were made to ascertain whether preventive measures had been earned i.n| and the result was so satisfactory ; |....i it was found necessary to serve mile ,|S oeeuniers with notices, which were all promptly complied with. (he work at Torrens Lake, constituted a problem which has yet to be solved sa ■ isl a't oril'. It is proposed to experiment with various kinds m li'iies which are said lu prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.