White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1930-09-12
RATS COST EQUALS
81 PER CAPITA TAX
Exact Toll of $500, O00,0 600
Annually in u. S.


dangerous and expensive charity-ex-
acts an annual toll Of $50O,000,0 900
yearly. in the United States, declares
DR.. c. v. Akin, surgeon, United States
Public Health service, in Food In
dustries. OF this sum, Doctor Akin
adds, $20O,O0O,0OO goes to feed the
pest and the balance, $3O0,00O00O,
goes to provide the animal with pack.
ages of produce to deface, buildings
to cut and mar and surplus materials
to foul.
Health authorities and economists,
Doctor Akin states, regard the rat as
the most dangerous and expensive Of
the animal pests living at mans ex.
pense. Strangely enough, the business
interests that suffer most from the
depredations of these semi-savage
"house guests seem least aware of
the price they pay for the privilege Of
running rat sanctuaries, or, in any
event, they do the least to rid them
selves Of the financial burden of hous-
ing and feeding the ever increasing
millions of rats.
Enormous Feed Bill.
If conservative estimate of one
rat per capita Of human population
be applied, continues Doctor Akin, the
annual meal ticket for rats in the
United States will just about use up
a $2OO,OOO,00O bond issue. And to this
the "cover charge for wanton de-
struction of property consequent on
gnawing and slashing, plus the "tip"
for spoiled food products due to foul
ing, and it will be understood that
giving rats a good time costs the
United States the best part Of one
half billion dollars per annum. This
overwhelming figure is better grasped
if we consider it an unconstitutional
per capita tax of over four dollars
per annum for every man, woman and
child living within our borders.
Of all the mammals, the rat is the,
most cosmopolitan. None other is so
we'll represented numerically in the
countries in which he has made him
self at home. Because this animal
can adapt itself to almost any environ.
ment dominated by man, and further,
because the rat can outthinlS, outclimb,
outjump and breed faster than most
animals, including man, it has sur
vived mans spasmodic efforts at con-
troll. If all the coverts and hiding
places were suddenly obliterated, man
70 md
ringed about on all sides with rats.
The rat wisely chooses to live near
humans who give him shelter and
food, and no doubt will continue to
do so as long as he is permitted or
indirectly encouraged.
Pests Travel Widely.
Rats are strictly nocturnal in their
habits and can see better at night.
When travelling in the daytime, the
rat seems uncertain of its movements,
unless running along wall, where
its long vibrissae, or whiskers, appar-
emily are of service in guiding it. The
black rat is even more wary than the
brown rat and is, consequently, more
difficult to trap. 1t is rather excep-
tional to catch a black rat in a cage
trap; snap traps and dead falls being
more reliable for capturing this spe
cies.
Rats are great travellers. Extensive
migrations of rats have frequently
been noted, and a seasonal movement
of rats from houses and barns to
open fields in the spring, in search of
fresh, green food, is recognized as a
regular occurrence. The return move
ment takes place in autumn. From a
number of trapped rats released in
large city, one was recaptured, two
days later, at point mile distant
from the place of liberation; and sew
eral were retaken in the course of
two weeks, two and three miles from
the place of release. Their travel had
been through thickly populated area
Of the city and across city streets,
some of which were heavily travelled
thoroughfares.