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27
In November, 1961 , a letter was received from the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food requesting local
authorities to review their methods of rodent control in sewers.
It also urged that modern treatment methods should be used and
co-ordinated with adjacent Boroughs. Considerable stress was
laid upon the use of Fluoracetamide.
Having carefully considered the Ministry's point of view
and having consulted other authorities with experience in the use
of this poison, it has been decided to invite private contractors
to undertake trial treatments. It is hoped, therefore, to report
upon this method of control in the report for 1962.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Smoke Control Areas
The Council's programme to make the whole of the Borough
a Smoke Control Area by 1967 was advanced a further stage when
the No. 3 Control Order became operative on 1st December, 1961.
The area covered by this Order is the largest of the twelve areas
into which Hampstead has been divided for the purposes of the
programme. It covers some 350 acres and includes more than
7,000 dwellings. The implementation of the Order provided many
lessons and not a few problems.
The actual estimates of the cost of work to be done which
have been submitted for approval for grant purposes have in many
instances been very different from the notional estimates of such
costs, although the latter have in some instances been based on
official information.
Considerable tact is needed in trying to reduce these
estimates,, In many cases the builder has a long association with
his customer and but for this would probably not have been
interested in giving an estimate for the replacement of a fire
grate. So although the smoke inspector's duty is clear, a brusque
intimation that a builder's estimate of £20 for the fireplace is
(say) £5 above "reasonable cost" may cause strain in a hitherto
satisfactory business relationship involving far greater sums. It
is not easy to encourage householders to hawk a job costing a
few pounds around the building trade in order to find a man