Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Some reports

Mr. Ammon Beasley was, of course, the General Manager of the Taff Vale Railway Company hence the address "Beasley's No. 9 Lodge". I found other references to vagrants using the trimmer's lodge at the dock so it seems that it was commonly frequented by the great unwashed!

1910 - Cardiff Port Sanitary Authority - The medical officer of health of the Cardiff Port Sanitary Authority, Dr. Edward Walford, states in his annual report that during 1910 more than 12,000 vessels entered the port which for sanitary purposes includes Penarth. Dr. Walford is assisted in his duties connected with the port by an assistant medical officer of health and nine inspectors, who inspected during the year 2630 foreign and 8376 coastwise vessels. Defects were found in 17 per cent. of the former vessels and in 6 per cent. of the latter.

For some years past good use has been made of the Cardiff and County Public Health Laboratory for the bacteriological examination of drinking water taken from vessels entering the port. During 1910 there were examined 74 such samples, of which 40 were reported to be good,3 fair, and 31 contaminated. Thirty-two vessels came to Cardiff during the year from infected ports.

On 48 vessels rat-catchers were employed, the total number of rats caught and destroyed amounting 8720. During the past three years on an average 5000 black rats taken from ships coming from infected ports have been destroyed annually, and from time to time rats have been examined bacteriologically at the Public Health Laboratory, but with negative results.

Dr. Walford refers in his report to the desirability of destroying native brown rats in and about the dock buildings, wharves, &c. He suggests that a limitation of their number might be effected by the removal of all heaps of refuse and garbage near houses, by general cleanliness of dwellings and premises, and by means of traps poisons, and bacterial virus. -  The Lancet [1113] [499] 20th May 1911.