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tanks was delayed and completion, originally planned for 1953, is
now not expected until 1954.
However, the Minister of Housing and Local Government has
intimated that in order to minimise delay he would be prepared to
authorise the commencement of the new scheme during 1954.
Atmospheric Pollution.—As an outcome of the four-day
smoke fog of 1952 the Beaver Committee, a Government Committee
on Air Pollution, was set up and is now in process of sifting information
and evidence obtained from various interested organisations.
It is all too obvious that despite the catastophe of 1952, when
some 4,000 people in the London area died as a result of " smog,"
the public's outlook regarding smoke abatement has not materially
changed and it is clear that neither publicity nor the threat of illhealth
has served to improve the situation.
Inducement and cajolery having failed to mitigate this smoke
nuisance, the indications are that amelioration is only to be achieved
by some measure of legislative discipline.
Existing smcke-abatcment legislation is rapidly becoming
known as " stable-dcor control " in that action can only be taken
after the nuisance has been committed, whereas fundamentally the
aim should be elimination.
In other spheres of environmental hygiene, such as factories,
housing, food, etc., a substantial improvement can be noted in the
standard of legislative control, with which the present position
concerning anti-pollution of the atmosphere compares most unfavourably.
Certain authorities with sufficient financial resources
have managed to negotiate private Acts, but these are in the
minority and in the main, reliance has to be on bye-laws which are
notable not only for their brevity but also for the fact that they are
concerned merely with the limiting of smoke and not at all with the
domestic fire.
This method of cont rolling or eliminating atmospheric pollution
is in direct contrast with that prevalent in parts of the United States,
where municipalities are free to legislate for their own particular
problems including those arising from domestic smoke. In many
instances the installation of fuel-burning appliances is permitted
only in accordance with stringent "prior approval" conditions,
offences against which can lead to the " sealing " of the offending
plant.
While not claiming that these methods are ideal, the American
system does give effective control of air pollution at source, which,
after all, is the essence of the problem.