The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-03-06
A New Righteous Holy War in
Great Britain
It Is a War Against THE RAT. We Ought to Match 1t
Here With War Against the Mosquito.


Now they intend to rid the British Islands of rats the
disease spreaders that kill ten thousand times many
al the mad dogs and that destroy billions hundreds OF
millions Of property every year in Great Britain
England is cursed to an unusual with rats just
for interesting reason The British stocked their
islands with gigantic supplies of grain preparing for the
German submarine blockade.
The grain is still there, too much of it. The British
farmers unable to sell what they raised let it stand in
stacks which rats by the millions and mice by the
hundreds of bushels They actually in bushels the
mice taken from under the haystacks.
The rat has her first litter of young ones when she is
four months Old some times younger when well fed They
are born dozen at time. This that one
pair Of Will produce of millions food is not
lacking for they breed all the year round when food is
to be had
special British government expert undertake the
solution of the problem using poisons that pro-
duce in the diseases that gives to other rats such
paraphOd enteric. Trapping the rats flooding them
ont blocking them with and preventing their
landing docks by poisonous gas introduced into the holds
Of ships these and other methods be used perstenty
The rat is a menace to the health of man. and de-
soyer of the wealth of nations and there is far
know not ONE good thing to be said in its favor unless it
be that reaches and other pests less harmful than
itself
Against the this is the serious charge that it
carries the bubonic plague communicated by the
hea and that once passes from the bubonc to the
monte stage becomes contagious and kills in thousands
Only recently have been learning that the mosquito
gives them their yellow fever and their malaria the gives
bubonc plague and other diseases It may well be that the
Spanish influenza that has killed in year human
beings than killed in four years of war; be traced
to the rat
For the influenza started among the soldiers and every
trench was infested with rats
The rat destroys hundreds of millions of dollars worth
Of food and other property annually And in addition
passes from the to the food supply and spreads dis
eases by contamination.
The British war against rats is holy war and .un-
doubtedly Great Britain will carry it out successfully Rats
cannot swim the waters that separate England from
the Continent Ships unloaded under supervision
is merely question Of being determined to do it.
Here the United States the rat problem is perhaps
too big for national treatment Individual cities could deal
with it. and ought to deal with it
And the nation whole ought to go at the MOSQUITO
problem determnedly Great Britain goes at the rat
problem.
The mosquito could be much more easily disposed of
than the rat feeble creature travel only
few hundred yards under its power and is destroyed
the moment you do away with stagnant water.
The United States authorities in Cuba and in the Panama
district very promptly settled the mosquito the yellow
fever questions The inhabitants of New Orleans did the
same, when shown that the yellow fever from
the bite of the mosquito-and in no other way
Malaria with which millions of Americans are con-
santy being infected and renfected does infinitely
arm than yellow fever The Government would rescue en-
tire populations from low vitality and inefficient work if it
would take up mosquito determination the fight against
great public enemy with oneenh the energy and at what
onth part of the involved the war against Ger
many
The building of the proposed canal along the east coast
Of the United States from Florida New York would at
do away with vast of stanant water in which
mosquitoes breed depVng them millions of acres of their
choicest breeding grounds.
The trouble with the United States is that we TALK
earnestly rapidly and drop thing before it is finished
tn do talking