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14
Health (London) Act, 1936, and a bye-law made under the Public Health
(Smoke Abatement) Act, 1926. Every furnace used in trade or industry
has to be constructed so as to consume or burn as far as practicable the
smoke arising from the furnace. There are penalties for negligent use of
furnaces, e.g., careless stoking. However, it is a defence in any proceedings
for sending forth smoke, other than black smoke, if the person shows
that he has used the best practicable means for preventing the nuisance
having regard to the cost of installing new plant and to local conditions
and circumstances. Even with these powerful legal loopholes there are
certain industries which can claim total exemption and which are indisputably
among the worse offenders; e.g., smelting of ore, calcining, the
puddling and rolling of iron, annealing, forging, the carburising of iron,
etc. The discharge of hydrochloric acid and sulphur dioxide from chemical
works is controlled by the Alkali, etc. Works Regulation Act, 1906,
which lays down specific standards for hydrochloric acid and sulphur
dioxide vapour discharge.
The enforcement of the existing smoke abatement laws presents certain
difficulties, as the detection of offences is usually regarded as a task which
falls to be performed by the Sanitary Inspector. In the course of his
daily work he takes smoke observations and makes official representations
to flagrant offenders, but smoke abatement work cannot be done
efficiently as an incidental duty of a Sanitary Inspector engaged in many
other equally important functions. There can be no doubt, however,
that in Deptford representations to the executives of factories have had
a salutary effect, although it should be stressed that industrial smoke
originating in the Borough is not a serious factor. Deptford suffers
more from pollution from neighbouring Boroughs.
(4) Greenwich and Deptford Power Stations
In addition to the pollution from normal industrial processes, this
Borough suffers from being in close proximity to the large Greenwich
and Deptford Power Stations, from which quantities of grit are discharged
and the incidence of the pollution arising from this source varies of course,
according to the direction of the wind.
As the result of representations, however, improvements in the firing
methods have been and are being made; old boilers have been scrapped;
new grit collecting plant installed; more efficient smoke-gauges are in use
and secondary air modifications have been made in both Stations. Some
of the chimney stacks have been also increased in height and the smaller
ones blanked off. Whilst conditions are by no means satisfactory, it is
fair to say that there has been gradual improvement and there is hope
for further progress.
(5) Suggestions for Improving Conditions
In submitting our suggestions for improvement, we desire to emphasise
that there is no easy or immediate solution of the problem. There will
have to be a gradual but determined and well-planned effort. No
schemes which can be devised in Deptford will be of any avail without
these efforts being co-ordinated with the remainder of the Metropolis