Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1919 — GOOD RECORD FOR “RAT DAY” [ARTICLE]

GOOD RECORD FOR “RAT DAY”

Nearly 00,000 Rato Slaughtered in 88 Counties. Final reports from 28 Indiana counties, Just compiled by Walter Q. Fitch of Purdue university here, state leader in the “rat day” drive* of May 27, 1919, show that 57,100 rats were killed in these counties in the single day’s effort- The enterprise was arranged by Mr. Fitch at the request of the Indiana food production committee, the object being to make "rat day” an annual affair in Indiana and thus rid the state of many of these rodent destroyOTS of food products. No record of rats killed in other counties could be obtained, but the state leader estimates that more than 150,000 rats were iput to death in the campaign. In a report to Governor Goodrich and the food cotomittee, Mr. Fitch recommends that the governor set aside one day each year for rat killing and that the fight against the rat pest be continued from year to year. Knox county led all others in the number of rats killed on Mai 27, 10,000 being reported slaughtered there.