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Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2425, 13 February 1909, Page 4

RATS AND SANITATION

In the ordinary way the presence of a horde of rats does not cause any great uneasiness in a community, but there aro indications that the. übiquitous rodent will receive a good deal of attention in the future. The part played by rats in spreading bubonic plague is well known, and it is exceedingly probable that the rodent is a decided factor in the propagation of other infectious diseases. The other day the discovery of one or two plague infected rats in Sydney was considered worthy to be cabled over, and even a solitary mouse similarly affected received special mention. The Sydney “Morning Herald” is exceedingly proud of the success that has attended the efforts to extinguish rats in Darling Harbor. Our contemporary says:—“The Harbor Trust is

charged with attending to our most vulnerable point, and it is only fair to say that it is making good progress. The vigilance of the Health authorities is never relaxed, and it is a source of reassurance that seemingly one plague rat or two make a not to be neglected warning to all concerned in maintaining the cleanliness of the city. Nothing is clearer than that without rats we shall have no plague, and rats may be kept down if we go the right way to work. Until the plague scare a few years ago many parts of the city might have been built as a natural home for the rodent, so complete was the harborage afforded. Now this reproach is in a fair way to be removed. In the case of .all new buildings, the first care is to make them rat-proof, and it becomes a possible task to insist on special precautions where old structures still remain.” It is interesting to note that the crusade against the rat is now becoming world-wide. The ancients appear to have kept snakes as rat-des-troyers, and a recent writer tries to show that the snake-entwined emblem of Esculapius is a reference to this early attempt at protection from plague. In coin representations a rat

is often seen stretched dead at tho

feet of a health-god. Japan is a splendid modern instance of war against the rat,, and though plague has practically been stamped out, precautionary measures are never for a moment relaxed. In order to stimulate universal killing of rats, each person handing in a dead one receives a ticket in a State lottery,, beyond tho price paid for each dead rodent. Denmark, in the middle of 1907, brought into force a drastic rat law, which will probably soon be copied' by Great Britain, where it is estimated there arc far more than 40,000,000 rats. In tho case of Denmark, it was found that tho rat population greatly outnumbered the human. The first year’s work under the rat law, however, shows that over a million carcases were handed in to tho municipal authorities and paid for. In addition, large numbers must have perished through the systematic use of poisons, including bacterial infections. It appeal-® that Barbadoes had ian antirat hnv as long ago as 1748 or 1745, ’.and Antigua followed this example in 1880, a penny a head being offered for the destruction of the rodents.

.Hongkong promulgated a rat ordinance in 1902, especially directed against the plague, and the result is said to he very successful. The crusade is now being taken up vigorously in Great Britain, and a strong society has come into existence to direct this work. Apart from disease the destruction wrought by rats reaches an enormous total,, and it is exceedingly difficult to quote anything in their favor by way of set-olf,

' 1 Inl/J ■friiill JfOi* fill A special la^J; ra3 arran gcd for tostations lias b<- cn , in 45 T) r n. night, leaving town at WA.o ,p.i

st -i? d iSv s Sir l, (Srs 2T2f “to.nMing.”

The Government steamer Hinemoa is expected to arrive this morning, bringing the ss y materials for the erection oi liouse, at Tualnne Joint.

The ~,roKranm,e of events to ».e decided at the annual mooting o the Waiapu Racing Club '■ issue. The meeting avail be eld i the Mangahanea racecourse on Saturday, March 20th.

The services at "Wesley Church tomorrow, morning and evening, 'Will He conducted by Rev. €. Griffin. Communion at the morning service, lhe Young (People’s Bible Class meets 111 the afternoon. Mr. Griffin, n ill preach at Ormond in the afternoon.

Mr. J. W. Bright, J.P., was the presiding justice at the Police Comt yesterday morning. A man mnwd Chas. Adams-was fined os and costs, or 24 hours, for drunkenness, ami . J. Malcolm, for bathing from the beach without proper was fined 5s and 7s costs.

Captain Hugo, Inspector of J ire Brigades, last evening inspected the members of the Gisborne Fire Brigade. The Mayor (Mr. IV. J). Lyanar) and Superintendent Jownley were present, and after the inspection the Inspector addressed the men on discipline and duty when at a fire.

At the Baptist Tabernacle tomorrow the Rev. "W. Lamb will preach at the morning service on “The Passion for Souls, and at the evening service on “The Unsearchable Riches.” At 6.50 the choir and orchestra will render several pieces, and there will be a violin solo and anthem.

All excellent and varied programme has been arranged for the annual St. Patrick’s sports gathering, which takes place at the Victoria Domain on Thursday, March 18th. No less than 17 events are included in the programme, comprising foot races, cycle races, rip-sawing competition, tug-of-war, and jumping events. The arrangements are in the hands of Mr. M. Segedin, and the necessary rules and conditions of the meeting may be ascertained at the Victoria Billiard Saloon.-

Attention is drawn by advertisement in this issue to the triennial election for members of the Licensing Committee for this district. The date of the poll lias been fixed for (March 9th.. and nominations close with Mr. H. E. Hill, Registrar of Electors, at 0 p.m. on Monday. March Ist. Mr. Hill desires it to be known that persons desirous of having tlieir names placed on the second supplementary roll, now in preparation, must communicate with liim before 5 p.m. on (Monday next, loth inst.

"While farmers are rejoicing in a record harvest, horticulturists and orchardists arc similarly jubilating over their yields. A local fruit grower told a Wairarapa -“Age” reporter that so lar as his particular orchard went lie never had a more abundant yield, experienced less trouble from blight, and saw the trees generally looking better than during the present season. The comparatively few persons possessing orchards in Mas ter ton generally contrive by careful cultivation to' make their fruit areas return a handsome profit.

The death 'occurred at a private hospital early yesterday morning of Mr. Alfred Harvey Fromm, eldest son of Mr. Fromm,, bookseller, of Gladstone Road, Gisborne. The deceased young man, who was only 20 years of age, was of fine physique, p.sses?ed splendid- athletic ability, and was very popular. He had been for some time on a station in the Mangaiu district. and last Saturday fell unwell. He was driven into town, but as his condition became worse he was taken to a private hospital last Tuesday and operated on the same dav ior appendicitis. He never luilv recovered from the effects of the operation, and giadually his condition became worse until be passed away. Much sympathy will be felt for Mr. Fromm and bis family in their sad and sudden bereavement. The. funeral will leave the deceased’s parents’ residence today, at 3 p.m.

Boldly thirty-seven Kaitangata coal-ti uckers, who were supposed to strike, faced a strolling snapshotters camera. They were to be taken by a special professional, and thousands of copies of the group were to he circulated, because the picture was to aopear among the ■ illustrations in "a weekly paper, and for all this glorv the charge was nil. Therefore the men scarcely needed the customary request to smile and look hapny. The. beautiful content that comes" to the person who is conscious of getting something for nothing beamed from their faces. But to-day that sweetness is changed to acidity. They are awaiting for the next photographer bravo enough to approach the coal mine, and they are aching to give him a lovely positive (with" the right and left) for his negative. The picture of the group of strikers was used to identify the men who had broken the law, and the result was that, they "'ere ordered to share a fine of £3O.

Hie ram which began on Thursday evening continued at- intervals throughout the night and early yesterday morning. There was a ‘ cessation during the daytime yesterday, hut m the evening hoavv rain set. in. It continued through the night. Rain fell in the country districts during yesterday, it being reported that rain was falling at To Karaka at noon. The change in the weather is very welcome, as rain was badly needed for farms and gardens.

“Oh, yes, truly,” said Uriah, “if anyone else had been in my place during the last few years, by this time he would have had Mr.‘ Wickfield under his thumb. Ah! great impudence, Master Copperfield. It’s a topic, that I wouldn’t touch upon to any soul but you. Even to you I can only touch upon it, and no more, for it’s nutmeg graters at twopence each at Parnell’s Popular Saturday Sales, 13th inst. only,”

Mr. H. W. Clinnie, C.E., has been commissioned by the. ' Hastings Borough Council to report upon tho best means of supplying the town with a high pressure water service. fee will be 7o guineas.

.A “Times” reporter was yesterday informed that there is every probab. iity of a freezing works being erected at Waikokopu, in tile near future a large number of farmers in the \y a j roa district having promised support" Two young cyclists, Messrs. Andrew and George Anderson, are at present touring the North Island on bicycles They 'left Gisborne by steamer for Napier last Sunday, and arrived at - Daimevirke on Monday night. They f* reached Foathcrston on Tuesday and arrived in Wellington on Wednesday From Wellington they cycled to iaranald and will probably go on to Auck" land.

Daimevirke lias been so busily growing and gaining strength that''it is to have another newspaper. The pro. prietors of lhe Daimevirke Publishing Company, Limited, mention that “the promoters of this undertaking believe that in view of the great fi£ crease in settlement in this district which has occurred during the past few years, the present is an opportune time for establishing a journal which will, strongly' and impartially, give adequate expression to the ideas and aspirations of the people.” The capital is to be £BOOO in Vi shares.

The Ministerial journal in Christchurch, tiie “Lyttelton Times,” refers in a leader to the recently settled grazing-runs dispute. After briefly revising the history of the affair it adds: —‘ ‘For ourselves, we realise that the Government has created rather a dangerous precedent in allowing a mistake in a Land Guide to over-ride the letter of the law, hut we think it has done the right thing in recognising the moral claim of the tenants, and we presume that it will protect itself in the future by making it quite clear that it takes no responsibility for further blunders of the same kind'. Happily, the generous concession to the Gisborne tenants will entail no great loss oi revenue to the State. The runs will he re-valued, just as they would have been if they had been subdivided, and the tenants will pay rent on the new valuation. The only thing to be regretted about the arrangement is that it will delay the cutting up of a number of large holdings. In several instances two or three tenants might have ta'ken the place of one.”

Writing to a friend in Christchurch, Mr Walter Fuller, of the firm or 3lessrs John Fuller and Sons, gives a sad account of the hardships of the London unemployed (says the “Lyttelton Times”). “After visiting the Canterbury' Theatre we walked home along the Embankment,” he says, “and" there we saw the drama of life in grim reality. On every seat_ and every corner there were men and women huddled together—homeless. Some were young and some were old; in fact, there were all sorts. Some, to keep themselves warm, had newspapers tied all round them. Me walked slowly, and took notice of this terrible scene, and on getting to M aterloo Bridge we found a long queue of men marshalled by policemen. I asued a policeman what it was, and he said they were the homeless unemployed waiting for the Salvation Army to come and give them tickets for soup, and that the Army men would come about 1 a.m. I did not wait to see it. The policeman told me that there were 1000 men there, and that there would probably bo another 500 before that time.”

A case of an unusual character was before the Invercargill Magistrate's Court recently, when a young lady sued a man for the recovery of a love letter, and for £2 damages in connection with the wrongful detention thereof. Evidence was given by plaintiff that she boarded at defendant’s house, paying os per week and helping in the housework. She had paid in lull for her board. After she had left_ the house she . discovered that the defendant had a letter which had ben sent to her by her “young man.” When asked'for it the defendant said he was keeping it pending the payment of money, which he alleged, was still owing by her for board. She said slie owed him nothing, and defendant said he would show the letter round "to show her up.” Defendant had shown the letter to some of her friends, and as it contained family matters it had. done her harm in many ways. A man gave evidence that the defendant had read .a letter addressed to the plaintiff to him., and that another young man was within hearing when the letter was read. There was no defence, and the Magistrate said that he was not sure as to the claim for damages. The valuation of the .letter was a different matter. He had heard of letters that had been sold for thousands of pounds. An order was made for the recovery of the letter, and judgment was given for £2 for its wrongful detention. The costs against the defendant amounted to £2 2s.