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The Principal Civil Medical
Officer was asked whether the rat-catching as carried out
fulfilled the object for which it had been instituted.
The replies showed that in 1906
only 208 Plague infected rats had been found in houses in
Victoria and only 50 such rats in houses in Kowloon; and
that the Chinese were in the habit of throwing out into
the street rats which had died in their houses. The Princi-
-pal Civil Medical Officer, however, recommended that no
change should be made in the existing arrangements pending
the report of the Indian Plague Commission.
5.
On the other hand Dr. F. W. Clark,
Medical Officer of Health (now on leave of absence),
reported in a minute, copy enclosed, that the special
staff of rat catchers was not worth retaining (its cost
it should be mentioned being $720 a month) owing to the
irritation it caused to the Chinese population,
which
placed every obstacle in the way of the work. He recommend-
-od that rat catching should be made part of the duties of
the Plague Inspectors, who should supply traps, rat poison,
and bird lime to householders on application.
6.
The question was thereupon
referred to the Sanitary Board and I expressed at the same
time
Conclosure 2.
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