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68
Horse Troughs—
Blackheath Road.
Church Street.
Woolwich Road.
Blackwall Lane.
Charlton Village.
Westcombe Hill.
Smoke Nuisances. Four hundred and twenty-three observations
have been taken for smoke nuisances during the year, but
only on three occasions was it found necessary to issue Statutory
Notices for the abatement of any nuisance which was found; no
prosecution has been necessary during the year on this account.
Several communications have been received from the Chief
Officer of the Public Control Department of the London County
Council with respect to alleged nuisances from black smoke
within the Borough, but these allegations have been seldom substantiated
by the inspections carried out by your Staff, and it
leads one to think that there must be a diversity of opinion as to
what constitutes a nuisance in this connection, the Act of Parliament
specifying definitely that the smoke emitted and causing the
nuisance, shall be "black smoke." Of course one is quite aware
that frequently serious nuisance is occasioned by large volumes of
smoke which, however, are outside the category of Public Health
Act nuisances by reason of the smoke not being black in its
character. I am inclined to think that the Officers of the Public
Control Department in their zeal for suppressing nuisances are
liable to include nuisances of the character described, especially
when one considers that the onus of proving the case in the
Police Court does not rest upon them but upon the Officers
of this Department.