Rat proofing the city is a responsibility of the city government.
The greatest force that can be exerted to-day toward the permanent
suppression of the rat pest is through the passage of practical
building ordinances that require the rat proofing of buildings and the
adoption of sanitary regulations that will insure clean premises and
adequate collection and disposed of garbage. It has been demonstrated
that such requirements not only are effective in reducing the numbers
of rats to the minimum, but also that they greatly improve health
conditions, reduce the fire hazard, and from a purely economic
standpoint are profitable. In one city in which rat proofing has been
vigorously prosecuted for a number of years and in which more than 80
per cent of the old buildings have been made proof against rats, the
sharp decline in the number of fires resulted in a 5 per cent reduction
in the fire-insurance rates. More than $1,000,000 was spent in the same
city in rat proofing 10 miles of docks, but even this large expenditure
was found to be a profitable investment.
Probably nothing so nearly reflects the sanitary conditions of a city
as the number of rats that it harbors, for the rat population is
usually in inverse ratio to the degree of sanitation maintained. In
1930 at least 13 cities in this country had rat-proofing laws, and more
than 30 others had fire-stopping requirements that are important in rat
proofing.
An effective rat-proofing program must be practicable and not too
drastic; otherwise it will fail from lack of popular support. Attempts
to enforce rat proofing of existing structures would probably not be
feasible unless under stress of an outbreak of bubonic plague or other
rat-borne disease epidemic. There seems to be no good reason, however,
why buildings constructed in the future or remodeled should not be
made rat proof under the requirements of building ordinances. Had such
ordinances been enacted 50 years ago and rigidly enforced since that
time the large majority of buildings to-day would be rat proof, and
rats, with their accompanying filth and destructiveness, would have
been largely eliminated. There would also be fewer of the unsightly
and insanitary shacks now existing in most cities, and the average
structure would be of a more desirable type. As modern construction
conforms so closely in principle to the requirements of rat proofing,
there should be little, if any, opposition among builders to a
rat-proofing clause in building ordinances.
In considering the suppression of rats, at the outset city authorities
should discard all methods other than those that strike at the source
of the trouble. The actual destruction of rats is necessary as a
temporary means of stopping their depredations, but modern construction
and sanitation are the weapons that must be relied upon to gain
permanent relief. In addition to a rat-proofing ordinance, every city
should have a law requiring that all garbage wherever accumulated be
kept in rat-proof containers or garbage cans until collected or until
destroyed by incineration or otherwise disposed of in a manner that
would avoid the possibility of its providing food for rats. Containers
should have covers not easily removed by dogs and other animals.
The city should also enact regulations prohibiting the accumulation
of trash, refuse, or waste matter of any kind on either public or
private premises, and should provide adequate means for collecting and
disposing of all waste.
Consideration should also be given to the sewer system. Although most
modern sewers do not offer opportunity for the unrestricted breeding
of rats, there are many still in use that furnish harbors for large
numbers of these pests in sections of some cities. Of most importance
is the corner catch basin, storm sewer, or street-drainage opening,
which should be effectively remodeled, if necessary, to provide smooth
interior vertical walls with a drop of at least 3 feet; rats are unable
to jump 3 feet vertically or to climb smooth surfaces.
Another place that should receive attention is the city dumping ground,
which frequently serves as an incubator for rats, and these soon
overflow into near-by sections of the city. A study should be made of
methods of disposing of waste materials and a system put into effect
that will meet the requirements of the city and insure the destruction,
removal, or adequate covering of all such food for rats. Any other
conditions that may be found favorable for the breeding of rats,
whether on public or on private property, should be declared a public
nuisance and ordered corrected.