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Towards the end of 1958 the Council agreed to seek provisional
approval to this Finsbury (No.1) Smoke Control area, and this was
given by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government during 1959
Owing to staff shortages it was only possible to complete the detailed
survey of the area following the appointment of a Smoke Control
Officer in July 1960
In October i960 the Council agreed to the making of an Order
which was submitted to the Minister for confirmation, and is due to
come into force in June 1962 Within the area is a large estate of
block dwellings, some eighty years of age comprising 480 flats which
the owners have undertaken to modernise within the next few years In
view of this, these premises have been specifically excluded from the
Order.
A second smaller area of 37¼ acres was also surveyed and reported
upon before the end of 1960 and the necessary steps taken to make this
the subject of an Order
In 1959 the Council formulated its programme for smoke control
areas for the subsequent five years to cover approximately 311 acres
or just over half the Borough, and it is hoped that the initial delays
which occurred will now be overcome by an accelerated rate of progress
in implementing this programme
FUMES FROM VEHICLES ON THE HIGHWAYS;
Many persons have been concerned in recent years with the emmission
of black and oily fumes from vehicles on the roads such emissions
being observed by no means infrequently
It is nearly always due either to lack of maintenance, defects or
maladjustments in the engine or to wilful interference by the drivers
of the setting (even when this is sealed to prevent it being tampered
with) in order to allow the vehicles to acquire a quicker rate of
acceleration especially when going up hill for it is at such times
when the load on the engine is greatest, and the engine defective
that the emission is most likely to occur
These fumes are both filthy and oily very unpleasant and a
nuisance and at time even a danger as they may obscure vision It is
also possible, though admittedly not proven that they are by nature
cancer producing Although the nuisance in Finsbury is probably not
as great as in some other areas as we have no long steep hills in the
Borough yet because considerable nuisances have been reported we
asked the Public Health Inspectors in December 1957. to make a note of
the registration number and when possible the name and address of the
owner of every vehicle seen to be discharging noisome fumes When the
name of the owner was not known I was able to obtain this through the
co operation of the Motor Taxation Officer of the appropriate authority,
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