"Rats!" . the Witness Told Maj. Eastwood I T quite put
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the Licensing Authority off his lunch to hear a witness at Leeds, last week. The man was a rat-catcher and he 'went into considerable detail to show why he was supporting an application by B. Booth, Ltd., East Morton, Keighley, for one vehicle on A licence.
Rat-catcher Mr.. R. H. Deacon explained that he had been in business for 30 years, but the railways had closed their doors to him. Live rats on our nice trains? they said. Not likely! So the only alternative was a lorry. (preferably. an. open one beca.uSe of the smell .alL ratcatchers have to put up with).
To do the job properly, he had to take along a gun (for big rats), a ferret (for ordinary rats), a dog (for rats that got away), and some cages (for female vats). Each cage held 100 rats, but although he was " a great supporter of the railways" he had failed to soften the British Transport Commission's heart over these ladies.
"Gruesome evidence," remarked Maj. F. S. Eastwood. "-I don't feel inclined to have a large lunch!" Nevertheless, he was not to be intimidated by the ratcatcher, and he decided to adjaurn the case—for further Witnesses. Perhaps the rat-catcher has friends in the trade. . .