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held at that Institute for stokers and firemen, subject to sufficient
students being enrolled. An appeal to 47 local firms in Southward
enquiring whether they would be prepared to arrange for
their firemen and stokers to attend the proposed classes produced
a promise of only seven students. This Council was,
therefore, asked whether they would be willing to take similar
action in an endeavour to obtain sufficient students to justify
the Course being held.
Accordingly 44 firms in Camberwell were circularised of
which only four agreed to co-operate, involving about six or
eight men. Particulars of the firms were forwarded to the
Southwark Borough Council but owing to lack of support it was
not possible to establish special classes; it was arranged,
however, to allot two periods per week to classes for the Boiler
Operatives' Certificate of the City and Guilds.
Three short lectures, and a film followed by a discussion on
smoke abatement were arranged at the Polytechnic on the 16th
September, 1954 ; one of the lectures was given by the Medical
Officer of Health for Camberwell.
In September the Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint
Committee invited the Council to agree to a suggestion by the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to participate
in a scheme to procure the measurement of smoke by installing
instruments for this purpose. This was in addition to the
instruments already provided by the Council on the roof of the
Queen's Road Health Centre for measuring the quantity of solid
matter and sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. The Council
agreed to co-operate in this matter and at the end of the year
delivery of the necessary apparatus was awaited.
The information obtained during the year from the deposit
gauge and lead peroxide instrument at Queen's Road Health
Centre is shown in graph form on pages 18 and 19.
The Committee on Air Pollution presented their final Report
to the Government in November, 1954. In it, they recommend
that Local Authorities should have power under general legislation
by means of Orders, requiring confirmation by the
appropriate Ministers, to establish:—
(1) smokeless zones in which the emission of smoke from
chimneys would be entirely prohibited, and:
(2) smoke control areas in which the use of bituminous coal
for domestic purposes would be restricted.
Before action can be taken under present legislation, it is
necessary to prove that a nuisance is being caused unless there are
local bye-laws in force. The bye-laws in force in this Borough
relate to black smoke and permit up to an aggregate of two