London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1909

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

75
to Parliament to give effect to the following proposals, which had been formulated after conference with
representatives of the borough councils. The conference had expressed its concurrence with the first
three of the proposals—
1. That section 24 (b) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, which provides that " any chimney (not being
the chimney of a private dwelling house) sending forth black smoke in such quantities as to be a nuisance " shall be
a nuisance liable to be dealt with summarily under the Act, should be amended by the deletion of the word " black."
2. That the word "chimney" in section 24 (6) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, should be deemed
to include—
(а) Openings through which smoke is emitted from buildings or places in which processes of manufacture
are carried on, and the chimneys of any building or place where furnaces are used in operations carried
on under statutory powers.
(б) The chimneys of any Government workshop or factory.
3. That in special cases of nuisance arising under sections 23 and 24 of the Public Health (London), Act, 1891,
the proceedings in respect of any nuisance may, at the request of and by agreement with the sanitary authority, be
taken by the Council in such special cases.
4. That the power of the Council to take proceedings in respect of nuisance created by sanitary authorities
under section 22 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, should be extended to apply to smoke nuisance from electricity
or other industrial works,or from premises used for the treatment or disposal of refuse,or for disinfecting purposes,
or from baths or wash-houses or other buildings or wharves owned, leased or occupied by sanitary authorities in
which furnaces are used.
5. That the power of sanitary authorities under section 14 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, to take
proceedings in respect of nuisance arising outside their respective areas should be extended to the Council as regards
smoke nuisance arising outside the County of London.
6. That the Council should be empowered to expend such money as it may think expedient, not exceeding
£500 a year, for the advancement of measures for the abatement of smoke nuisance.

The following table, which is compiled mainly from information contained in the annua! reports, shows the action taken by sanitary authorities in respect of smoke nuisance during the year, so far as this ia stated in those reports.

Sanitary Area.Observations and inspections.Nuisances and complaints.Intimations.Notices.Summonses.
City of London28714
Battersea3333172
Bermondsey192 (chimneys)20
Bethnal Green65723254
Camberwell69202
Chelsea
Deptford1488
Finsbury134244101
Fulham75
Greenwich25573
Hackney1,35637
Hammersmith19 (premises)213
Hampstead108
Holborn11331
Islington480191
Kensington292332
Lambeth25*232
Lewisham1151
Paddington24 (premises)61
Poplar614125
St. Marylebone1,20729182
St. Pancras85316165
Shoreditch31235
Southwark1,18625742219
Stepney6464
Stoke Newington843
Wandsworth785842
Westminster, City of2,60544936
Woolwich311313

*Exclusive of complaints by officers of the Borough Council.
Nuisance from stable manure.
Nuisance from stable manure is the subject of less comment than usual in the annual reports
of medical officers of health. The enforcement of the by-law of the London County Council, prohibiting
manure receptacles sunk below the surface of the ground, and of the regulations of the sanitary
authorities, requiring the periodical removal of manure, has no doubt greatly contributed to the
reduction of nuisance from this cause; but beyond this there has in recent years been constant
decrease in the amount of stable manure in London owing to the replacement of horse by motor traction.
The absence of a hot summer in 1909 has also had an undoubted effect in reducing the nuisance usually
experienced from this cause. Hence there is little to record on this subject beyond the fact that in
one or two districts horse owners were prosecuted for non-compliance with the requirements as to
removal.