The following tables show the work done in investigating complaints and in preventing rats from obtaining food: Complaints referred from city health department and from other sources investigated from July 1, 1915, to June 30, 1916. Number of chicken yards abandoned. Number of chicken houses concreted (square feet, 2,170) 3, 154 298 18 4, 486 668 11 Number of lots from which stagnant water has been pumped.. MEASURES TAKEN FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF RAT HARBORS. 26, 183 It was mentioned in the report for the last fiscal year that a great many passageways, yards, areaways, and sidewalks remained, forming ideal harborage for rodents. The removal of wooden flooring on such spaces has been continued during the present year, the results accomplished being shown in the following table, which also includes the work done to render stables rat proof: Number of premises in which wood was piled off the ground_ 211 88 MEASURES FOR THE PERMANENT RAT PROOFING OF NEW BUILDINGS. The service has continued its cooperation with the city board of health in enforcing the rat-proof construction requirements of new buildings in accordance with the municipal ordinances. The board. of public works has, as heretofore, furnished copies of all applications for building permits, so that the inspectors could enforce rat proofing during construction. The following table shows the work done in rat proofing new buildings: Number of new buildings rat proofed___ Number of basements concreted (square feet, 2,242,424) RAT PROOFING OF FOOD PLACES. 1, 933 2,518 744 1,086 2, 031 1,283 5, 383, 883 A large part of the permanent rat-proofing work has been of food places in accordance with the city ordinance of 1914, which provides among other things that before any business connected with the preparation or handling of foodstuffs can be commenced, the sanitary condition of the premises to be occupied must be satisfactory to the board of health. Under this requirement rat proofing of such places is enforced. Activities in regard to food places were limited to new establishments and to old premises about which complaints were received. The following table shows the number of buildings inspected, number abated, and the work accomplished from July 1, 1915, to June 30, 1916, under the new ordinance regulating the sale, handling, and manufacture of foodstuffs: Number of food places applying for health officer's certificate, inspected, and requirements sent_ Number of buildings rat proofed by concreting_ Basements concreted (square feet, 25,525). Floors concreted (square feet, 346,428) Yards concreted (square feet, 6,380). Passageways concreted (square feet, 3,275) Total square feet concrete laid___ 1, 452 622 27 551 19 16 381, 608 165 223 518 280 Number of area walls installed (cubic feet, 41,874). Number of buildings rat proofed by area walls and wire cloth (square feet, 249,191) - Premises screened. RAT PROOFING IN THE FIRE LIMITS AND REPAIRS TO OLD BUILDINGS. The work of maintaining the rat proofing of buildings within the fire limits has been continued, as in past years. These fireproof buildings are practically rat proof, but unless constant attention is given to basement windows, openings around pipes, ventilators, sidewalk gratings, doors, and unused flues, etc., such buildings gradually become rat infested. When old buildings are undergoing repairs, the nature of such repairs is regulated so as to increase the rat exclu sion efficiency of the building in question. The work accomplished by these measures is tabulated as follows: Openings in walls, ceilings, and floors closed by wire, lath, and cement__ 46, 761 3, 956 84,460 Floors complying with section 199 (wire cloth) (square feet, 87,994) 67 Floors concreted (square feet, 807,027) – Finished ceilings removed from basements (square feet, 17,761)__. 51 338 19 Existing nonrat-proof buildings repaired, using rat-proof materials. Number of buildings rat proofed by concreting. Chicken yards concreted (square feet, 2,170). Total number square feet laid in old premises_ Number of area walls installed (cubic feet, 275,700) 3, 310 1, 162 1, 324 456 1, 179 1, 409 55 18 3, 345, 600 1, 448 Number of buildings rat proofed by area walls and wire cloth (square feet,249,191) ——. 223 As in previous years the service has assisted the city board of health in its condemnation proceedings by collecting evidence, and testifying at the hearings before the board, prior to issuing the order to repair, vacate or demolish the building in question. In most cases the necessary repairs and changes in construction are made, so as to avoid demolition of the building. The amount of work resulting from this activity is shown in the following tabulation: Number of buildings submitted to board of health for condemnation__. Number of buildings acted on by board, but not condemned__. Number of buildings given rehearings by the board_. Number of buildings recommended for condemnation, but not yet heard by the board_. Number of buildings abated following condemnation proceedings. FREEING SHIPS FROM RATS. 242 193 103 28 440 357 194 As in previous years, this office has assisted the San Francisco. quarantine station, located on Angel Island, by supplying and directing an inspection and trapping force, operating on vessels in port, wharves, and property immediately adjacent thereto. The foreman 1 These include some buildings condemned during previous years, hence the totals will not balance. in charge of this work sees that all lines from vessels to wharves and lighters are provided with effective rat guards, and makes a special inspection of cargo from ports suspected of having plague infection. Trapping of rats on vessels is done to decrease the chances of such rats as may be present coming ashore. All rats so secured are sent to the service laboratory for examination for plague infection. No infected rats have been found during the past year. The following table gives the data for work of this kind during the fiscal year: Number of inspections made of vessels for rat guards_ Number of vessels inspected for rat guards_ Number of reinspections made of vessels. Number of new rat guards procured_ Number of defective guards repaired.... 1,079 338 1,292 736 580 17 Number of vessels in which cargo is inspected-- Number of pieces of cargo inspected for rat evidence_ Number of rats trapped on wharves and water front_. Average number of traps set on wharves and water front__ Number of vessels trapped on- Number of times trapped on__. Number of poisons placed on water front (pieces). 9, 296 1, 838 1,625 194 86 128 691 187, 200 301 516 225 Bait used on water front and vessels, bacon (pounds). REMARKS. At the close of the present fiscal year the service arranged to turn over the special sanitation work in San Francisco to the city board of health, as no plague infected rats have been found since October 23, 1908. The city board of health has provided for the continuance of the work along the same lines as have been followed for the past eight years. The continuance of rat eradicative measures by the local authorities is necessary in San Francisco, as it is in all large seaports, to make the city immune to plague invasion. Although extensive operations have been carried on for the past eight years, rat complaints are constantly being received, a large proportion of which are caused by rats coming from sewers. This is significant when taken in connection with the fact that during the past intensive work, sewers contributed on an average three times the number of rats caught in all other localities, indicating the urgent need for the continuation of general poisoning and trapping, especially of sewers. The service officer in charge of plague eradicative measures in California, dealing principally with ground squirrel eradication, will continue to cooperate with the city board of health in an advisory capacity and will assist in the enforcement of rat-proof requirements and condemnation proceedings, but the responsibility and expense of continuing the work rests upon the local health authorities after July 1, 1916. OPERATIONS FOR THE ERADICATION OF PLAGUE AMONG GROUND SQUIRRELS. For many years past it has been the constant endeavor of those in charge of plague eradicative measures in California to maintain a "squirrel-free" zone immediately to the east of Berkeley, Oakland, 63887°-H. Doc. 1493, 64-2—17 and Alameda. The object of this was to prevent the exchange of plague infection from squirrels to rats in the cities named, or vice versa. As mentioned in last year's report, this zone was not intensively worked during 1915, as no plague-infected rats had been found in San Francisco or Oakland for several years and no infected squirrels had been found in the zone area for nearly three years. During July, 1915, one plague-infected squirrel was found on the "free" zone east of Berkeley. Intensive squirrel eradicative operations were immediately carried out in the vicinity where this infected squirrel was obtained and also over a large area of land badly infested with rodents in Contra Costa County to the east of the zone. Similar work was carried out over a large area of land that had been subdivided into small building lots located in this belt. During the present hunting season, since April 1, 1916, seven plague-infected squirrels have been found near Richmond and one near Hayward, both places being in the zone that should be kept free of squirrels. The finding of this infection in squirrels so near to the bay cities has made it imperative to continue the campaign in an intensive manner for an indefinite period and will necessitate an increase in the force employed until plague infection among ground squirrels is finally eradicated. The question of rat eradication in all the bay cities has been taken up with local health officers and the municipal councils, all of whom have promised to carry out rat eradication. INSPECTION OF LANDS FOR SQUIRREL INFESTATION. The same method of inspection operations that has been in force for the past several years was continued during the fiscal year. A supervising inspector is stationed in each county where this work is being done, and under his jurisdiction are assigned as many field inspectors as can be employed with the funds available. It is desirable to have the territory covered by each field inspector not greater than 40,000 acres, and in many cases where the lands are divided into small holdings even this area is too great to be thoroughly covered by one man. Under an act of the California Legislature, approved June 7, 1913, it is mandatory upon the landowner to eradicate the squirrels on his property when directed to do so by an agent of the State board of health. All of the field inspectors are authorized to serve notices of this character. In case the owner of the property on whom such notice is served fails to institute the necessary squirrel eradicative measures within 10 days from date of service, employees of the State board of health, working under the direction of the service officer in charge of plague suppressive measures, are sent on the property, and the cost of labor and materials used in eradicating the squirrels are charged to the landowner. This bill can be collected from the county board of supervisors by the State board of health and then becomes a lien on the property. It was necessary, during the year, to proceed in this manner on 29,678 acres of land, the total cost of this work being in most cases repaid direct to the State board of health by the property owner. |