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would now only serve a useful purpose locally to measure
grit and dust arising from individual factories. In the
circumstances, the Committee decided to discontinue the
use of these two instruments as from the Ist April, 1961,
leaving only the volumetric instruments which still provide
valuable data, Graphs showing the 'readings' obtained from
them appear in the appendix to this report.
After one year's operation of the Council's Smoke
Control Order No. 1, which covers 1,025 acres in the extreme
south of the Borough, it is encouraging to note that the
instrument at 475 Lordship Lane indicated a distinct improvement
in both the concentration of zsulphur dioxide and
smoke in the atmoshpere. Indeed, the amount of smoke recorded
averaged little more than half of the previous year's
figures. Since climatic conditions are so closely allied
to atmospheric pollution, however, it will be necessary
to compare records over a period of several years before
the long-term effect of smoke control measures on atmospheric
pollution can be demonstrated adequately.
Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods) Regulations,
1958
Four instances of contravention of these Regulations
were reported to the Public Health Committee during the
year, two of them in respect of the same factory. On the
first occasion, a cautionery letter was sent to the management,
but when a further offence occurred, legal proceedings
were instituted and fines of £5 and £1 imposed with £1 ls.Od.
costs.
In another case, a cautionery letter was sent and no
further contraventions have been observed. Legal proceedings
were taken against the management of the factory where the
fourth offence occurred and £1 fine and £l costs were imposed