69

H.—3l

as an important sanitary improvement. In addition to this, the Board carried out some special work in concreting the open stone facing of some parts of the foreshore where rats were known to exist, and removed various accumulations offering a harbourage for rats. Refuse-bins on the wharves, into which rubbish from the shipping can be placed, were provided, instead of the former method of throwing it into the sea, where it drifted to the beaches and so provided food for rats. At Onehunga, where the wharves are under the control of the Marine Department, we were, unfortunately, unable to secure any corresponding improvements. Some poison-laying was, however, carried out. The sanitary measures taken in 1910 by the City Council were, from motives of economy, relaxed, so that the outbreak this year found them more or less unprepared. Fortunately, in the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr, we had an enthusiast in sanitary matters, under whose auspices the City Engineer and Chief Inspector were enabled to organize an effective sanitary staff, the city being divided into blocks, with a special Inspector responsible for the sanitary condition of each block. A rat catching and poisoning staff was appointed, and worked on an organized system, taking the danger areas block by block, and ridding them as far as possible of rats. The most satisfactory feature is that these appointments are on a permanent basis, and the work is still proceeding. It is to be hoped that the spasmodic and half-hearted efforts of previous years are now a thing of the past. The actual cleansing and disinfection of buildings was chiefly done by the city sanitary staff, but when extra help was required the departmental staff and the Inspectors appointed for the Hospital Board took part in the work, which sometimes took up the greater part of the night. A large amount of good work has been done in the matter of the removal of accumulations of rubbish in the cellars and basements of business premises, and an improved system of scavenging and refuse-removal has been inaugurated, properly constructed metal refuse-receptacles being now in use. Better supervision of the various refuse-tips in the city was arranged, but these places must always be regarded as weak spots in the system of refuse-disposal. A most important improvement has been the concreting of the cellars and basements in Queen Street and the neighbourhood. Some of these were in a very bad condition, subject to flooding from defective sewer-connections below the floors, wet, foul, and ratinfested. The work of rendering these dry and rat-proot is still proceeding, and much yet remains to be done. Many old defective drains have been removed, and one very important result of the outbreak among the rats in the City Chambers block has been the removal of many old sewerconnections which entered an old watercourse known as the - Ligar Canal." This was a partly bricked channel passing under the City Chambers block, and also under the warehouse of Messrs. Smith and Caughey, and I believe it to have been an important source of infection. A new sewer has now been laid, to which the drains connect, and this unsavoury channel will shortly be completely abolished. The very dirty condition of some of the kitchens belonging to hotels and restaurants was the subject of much comment. Some of these were situated in dark, ill-ventilated underground cellars, subject to flooding from the sewers, and infested with rats. One such cellar kitchen was in a restaurant adjoining the City Chambers block, and from it many infected rats were removed. The condition of these premises was so bad that I deemed it wise to close it entirely, and the interior of the building has since been entirely reconstructed. Another restaurant in that block was closed down temporarily during disinfection and rat-proofing operations. In two hotels the kitchens have been removed from the cellars, but much work in this direction yet remains to be done, as in several hotels the food is prepared under the most unsatisfactory conditions. To enable the local authorities and the Health Department to enforce these reforms it was necessary to supplement the ordinary powers to condemn or to secure repairs to a building. To this end, on the 7th April the Governor in Council authorized the bringing into force in Auckland of section 18 of the Public Health Act, giving the Department extended powers, and subsequently regulations were gazetted dealing specially with, rat-infested buildings. These proved of service ; but, as a rule, the owners of property readily acquiesced in the demands of the sanitary officers. The City Council have now adopted a series of excellent by-laws dealing more particuiary with the sanitary condition of places wherein food is stored or prepared. These will enable the city officials to secure the abolition of the insanitary kitchens mentioned above, and can be enforced at all times, whether plague be present or not. In the suburbs there was a more or less spasmodic effort to deal with the rat problem. At Onehunga poison was freely distributed, and a systematic house-to-house inspection was made, which resulted in the removal of much accumulated rubbish—a cart being provided by the Council for the purpose —and the pulling-down of a large number of antiquated buildings, mostly merely sheds. It is to be regretted that latterly the Onehunga Borough Council has refused to continue the work of removing decayed buildings, alleging that they were advised by the late Minister of Public Works that the certificate of the Health Officer should be ignored if they wished to avoid liability for compensation. That this is not in accordance with the Health Act is evident to any one who studies the matter. A proposal to appoint a rat-catching staff for the combined suburban bodies was made by the Department, but it fell through, only the Boroughs of Grey Lynn and Mount Albert supporting the scheme. Several of the more energetic suburban and country bodies took advantage of the plague outbreak to secure improved methods of dealing with house-refuse, among these being Grey Lynn, Mount Albert, and Mount Eden Boroughs. At the Thames a rat campaign was undertaken, and attention paid to refuse-accumulations. Quarantine Precautions. —A system of bulletins reporting the occurrence of cases among human beings, and detailing the rats examined and the number found infected, was instituted, the Consuls of foreign countries and the various British Dominions being so supplied. The bills of health were indorsed till September —three months after the last infected rat had been found.