New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1920-06-26
HELP OFFICIALS TO KEEP
BUBONIC PLAGUE OUT
OF THE STATE.


ing made through the local Board
of Health working jointly under
the direction of DR.. Bowling
president of the State Board of
Health to exterminate all the rats
in New iberia. This is absolutely
necessary if we wish to prevent
a possible spread Of the bubonic
plague in this country. In every
Louisiana town as well as the en-
tire State Of Texas the citizens are
working with this end in view.
In New iberia the citizens are
urged to set out rat traps next
Monday night to catch as many
of the rodents as possible and on
Tuesday morning Officer Veazey
will call and gather them up to
be shipped to New Orleans where
they will be inspected to see if
any of them are infected with the
fatal disease. Mr.. Veazey's tele-
phone number is 40 and those of
our citizens who catch any are
requested to ring him up at once.
It therefore devolves upon
every citizen to help exterminate
the rate as quickly as possible.
Bubonic Plague has made its APP
pearance in one or two places IN
the United States already and the
men who have made study OF
the disease attribute the malady
to the rat brought into this coun-
try from foreign shores. 1t is
only bv watching the rats and
inspecting them that the health
of a community can be protected.
We reproduce from a leafet,
published by the Louisiana State
Board of Health the following ex-
certps:
Building the Rat Out of Ex-
istence.
"Most certain Of all methods
to get rid Of rodents is to allow
them no place in which to lie.
San Francisco effects this result
through its ordinance, which re-
quires small houses outside GER
tain city limits to be raised so
high from the ground that dogs
and cats can drive out rats from
under them. and which requires
all other buildings in the city to
be rat PROCEED with cement or
concrete. The latter contemplates
foundation walls Of concrete or
brick sunk at least l foot to ISL
inches to 2 feet above that sur
face: the whole ground area in
closed by the foundation walls
must be covered with concrete at
least IL inches in thickness.
Thus the entrance of burrowing
rodents is prevented. Even where
buildings stand upon rock orI
ilardpan. these requirements
should be enforced. Rock may
crack. gradual weather decay
may cause crevices to be found in
it unseen crannies may be found
by rodents, and once the rat
lodges in rock his nest is virtually
anassailable. With hardpan it is !
even worse, for the rats can bur-
row in it. with some difficulty,
truly. but when nests are impossi- |
bic elsewhere. necessity viii drive
rats to find shelter in hardpan,
which viii protect them quite as
well as rock. In the main, these
two points Of building rats ont of
existence. though modified, will
apply to any structure.
. and hence must drown. Farms |
bare frequently protected against
vrodent migrations bv tin or zinc |
sheeting sunk into the ground |
about a foot and half and stand /
ING about the same height above i
he surface along the fence line.
Yet any negligence will over
brow these safeguards. The
principle is to allow no opening
within which rodents may nest.
Plank sidewalks and hack wards