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28
who will work cheaply and it is not possible as an officer of a
local authority to recommend an individual builder.,
This work takes a great deal of time but one of the smoke
survey assistants , Mr. J, A„ Woodman, was detailed to investigate
these estimates and he has persuaded and advised in such a commendably
tactful yet determined manner that costs have been kept
to a minimum,
The survey of Area No. 4 was almost completed by the end
of 196lo This area which is on the eastern side of the Borotigh
covers 150 acres and includes some 3,700 dwellings.
It has been found that Clean Air is not unpopular,, The
great majority of people are prepared willingly to cooperate with
the Council in complying with a Smoke Control Order, provided
that they know about it.
It was found in the large No. 3 area that far too many
people genuinely did not know that they were included in a smoke
control area, and they ordered their summer-price coal and
innocently continued to use it after the order came into operation,,
This was in spite of the publicity which was given to the matter
which was much in excess of the legal requirements and which alsc
included a small but well publicised exhibition which was held in
conjunction with a well attended and very lively public meeting,,
Part of the difficulty appears to be the inevitable delay
between the earlier inspections on a survey and the confirmation
of the order. Indeed some people had so completely forgotten
that they denied that they had ever been told about the proposed
Smoke Control Order until they were shown the records giving the
date of the inspection and details of the fireplaces in the house.
In conjunction with a good records system it would seem
that a circular letter to every householder at all three stages
(survey, confirmation of order and operative date of the order)
is the most satisfactory system. The use of a pre-paid postcard
questionnaire has made it possible to accelerate surveys and it
is confidently hoped that the whole Borough will have been dealt
with by 1967.