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105
forced by the London County Council, under threat of
neglect of duty, to take out a Summons in connection
with Smoke Nuisance in their District, and the case was
heard before Sir James Vaughan, who made an Order for
the Nuisance to be abated within seven days. As the
Nuisance was not so abated, the St. Giles' Board of Works
applied to the Magistrate for Penalties, taking out for this
purpose fifty Summonses for the non-compliance with the
Magistrate's Order, and the Magistrate then marked the
whole of these Summonses, in each case, " No Conviction ! "
The Summonses were withdrawn by the Solicitor of the
St. Giles' Board of Works, who mentioned to the Magistrate
that " the action had been forced upon them by the
London County Council, and that otherwise they would not
have taken the action they did, at any rate, at that time
when the Coal Strike was on." Sir James Vaughan, in
summing up, stated that it was proved to his satisfaction
that Welsh coal could not at the time of the Strike be
supplied in sufficient quantity to admit of the smoke from
the Defendant's chimney being of a clear character. The
Nuisance remained unabated, and the County Council took
no further action.
Before the same Magistrate, on the same day, several
Summonses were on for hearing, by the Strand District
Board, and, as the result of the Magistrate's decision in
the case of the St. Giles' Board of Works, these Summonses
by the Strand District Board of Works were withdrawn.
The Vestry of Paddington took out a Summons against
the Metropolitan Electrical Supply Co., Ltd., and, on the
first hearing of the case, the Summons was adjourned
sine die, the Company undertaking to abate the Nuisance.
On the further hearing of the case, however, the Nuisance