-
"Ĉ
ollector's orders. With regard to the measures to be taken in any
particular town or locality the Collector has a wide discretion and may
associate with himself a small committee including the District Health
Officer, the District Medical Officer and"the chairman of the munici-
pality or the president of the district or taluk board.
In a cantonment the military authorities are immediately responsible
for carrying out plague measures and the Collector should appoint a
representative of those authorities to be a plague officer for the canton-
ment.
2. Two memoranda on plague preventive measures, one drawn up
by the Public Health Commissioner with the Government of India and
the other by the Director of Public Health under the Government of
Madras, are printed as Appendix A to these Standing Orders. The
greatest importance is attached to what may be called permanent pre-
ventive measures, which consist in making the people anderstand that
the presence of rats in their houses and godowns is dangerous, and in
persuading them to protect themselves from the risks involved in the
presence of rats in places used for human habitation and their property
from the loss and destruction caused by these animals at all times. It is
possible by making it difficult for rats to enter houses and godowns and
by making it difficult Cor them to find food when they do enter, to
bring about a very great reduction in the number of rats. .Eats are
found in great numbers in markets and places used for the storage of
grain ; if grain godowns were constructed in the manner set forth in
part II of the memorandum they would harbour much fewer rats than
at present and none would stay in them long. The municipal councils
of towns liable to plague infection should see that all godowns in their
own markets are constructed on the lines laid down so as to be rat-free.
The councils can, under the existing law, impose conditions with regard
to the construction of new buildings and they should do so in respect of
those intended for the storage of grain ; when the law is amended, it is
proposed to lay down that no person shall store grain or deal in grain
wholesale without a licence and it will be possible then for a council to
inside that grain shall be stored only in rat-free premises. In ordinary
houses if foodstuffs are shut up in receptacles to which rats cannot obtain
lilelyhood and no garbage or refuse is allowed to lie about, there is less
liklihood of rat infestation. At present few people take any precau-
tions at all, Every endeavour should be made to warn all of the danger
of allowing rats to share their habitations. In some places lectures and
leaflets may be useful, but more eau probably be done by the personal
Influence
of both officials and non-officials and both should be urged to do
that they can to educate the more ignorant sections of the population.
Inspection
ana sun-dis-
infection of
grain,
clothing, etc.
8, Under existing conditions much can be done to prevent the spread :
of plague from one place to another. Under regulation 8 the
Collector has power to order the breaking of bulk of any consignment
of grain in transit and under regulation 10 the municipal or village
authority may similarly ensure that no consignment of grain shall
outer a town or village until bulk has been broken and the grain has
been exposed to the sun. The mere breaking of bulk and the disturb-
ance caused by the unloading of the bags will generally be enough to
get rid of any rats they contain ; but a bag may contain rats which are
perhaps too young or too sick to move and it may be necessary to
empty out bags of grain coming from infected places in order that such