Evening star., 1902-05-31
RAT rs IN AUSTRALIA
WARFARE AGAINST THE PLAGUE
BEARING RODENTS.
Animals Charged With Aiding the
Spread of the Black
Death.
y Correspondence Of the London Globe.

Sydney Correspondence OF the London Globe.
The second visitation OF the black
death, as the plague is sometimes desig-
mated, in Australia, is proving less serious
than on the previous occasion, a result in
some measure. OF the extensive sanitary re
forms effected in the various places where
II has obtained a foothold. especially sgd
ney,where the danger from vessels arriving
from eastern ports has always existed in
some form or other. The New South Wales
metropolis is In a state of transition. the
old and i'll constructed buildings of previous
generations gradually disappearing before
large and handsome structures. in which
sanitary requirements have been faithfully
attended to. In none of these latter. nor in
the newer portions of the METROPOLITAN sub
urps. has the dreaded disease ever made
IT'S appearance, the death rate from all
causes being not only exceptionally low.
out steadily decreasing. The leading source
OF injection has been that part OF Port
Jackson known as Darling Harbor, the
foreshores of which. until recently bore a
Strong resemblance to those OF the Thames
between the Tower and Limehouse, in for
mer days, save that the limited rise and fall
or the tide enables the largest vessels TO be
moored alongside the wharves some OF
Mnlch might have recalled the description
ssn shen py Dickens in The Old Curiosity
Snop OF that belonging to Quflp.
ndtS FROM Eastern Ports.
Here were to be found myriads of rats.
every snip from eastern ports bringing a
fresh contingent. the devastation occa-
stoned by them among wheat, maize and
cther produce being something incredible.
4 ct nothing was done to exterminate them.
In the absence of any central authority
armed with full powers they were regard.
ed as a kind of inevitable evil At one time
the English rat. which does not seem TO
become readily infected, was most numer-
ous but with the more frequent arrival OF
vessels from Asiatic ports the rats from
those places have monopolized the situa-
tlon. These latter frequently bring with
them the germs Of disease. which become
readily communicated TO the rats on shore
and in this way epidenios such as the
plague make their appearance This has
caused the Sydney authorities to insist that
an ropes connecting vessel with the shore
pe guarded by large metal disks, to
prevent rats from leaving the ship All
gangways have to be hauled up after dark
all lower portfolios closed, and other pre-
cautions taken. But IL is difficult to make
shlpmasters take all this trouble. conse-
quently heavy fines are continually being
imposed.
Sanitary Precautions.
The condition OF the Darling Harbor
wharves generally was found to be ex-
tremely bad. Some of the wooden floors
had not been repaired for many years and
When they were taken up for the purpose Of
being replaced with concrete many tons
of underlying rubbish had to be removed.
From hence the rodents readily found their
way by means of old and forgotten drains
to other parts of the city, which remain I'm
much the same condition as fifty or sixty
years ago, although concealed from public
view by the large and handsome stores
fronting the main thoroughfares.
The crusade against the rats is being
conducted with unfagging energy, and in
not a few instances a bonus of threepence
per head is given, the dead bodies being de-
stroyed by hre. At the same time. a whole
sale demolition of insanitary buildings is
taking place. the Sydney municipal authori-
ties and the state government working in
concert. and II is understood that when the
state parliament meets in session a new
building act will be introduced, which will
have the effect not only OF removing the
last traces Of old-time Sydney. but also
defining the conditions on which the work
OF rebuilding will be permitted. 1t is in
stinctively recognized that 1t is useless at
tempting to eXterminate the rats, unless
the plague terminating spots are dealt
with also.