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72
Due to the rapid development in the Gas Industry of the production of town
gas from non-solid basic sources, the coke residues previously relied upon for
use on open smokeless grates will not be available in the forseeable future. It
is unlikely that the production of the premium smokeless fuels, particularly the
long awaited products of the National Coal Board "Homefire", "Roomheat" and
"Multiheat" will be sufficient to support a continued emphasis on the use of the
open fire in future Smoke Control Areas. For this reason, grant assistance under
the Clean Air Act 1956 is now being directed to a greater degree of conversion to
the use of gas fires, electric thermal storage heaters, closed room heaters and
under floor draught fires. In order to conserve such stocks of open fire fuels as
are available, grants will in future also be payable in appropriate cases for the
conversion of "improved" open fires to these other forms of heating. It should be
noted that there is still a prohibition upon the payment of grant in respect of
conversion to appliances using direct acting electrical current, this is to assist
in the avoidance of "peak load" cuts of supplies of electricity. These general
trends in the use of piped and wired non- solid fuels must, of necessity, influence
the design of new housing units and the conversion of older Council property.
Measurement of Air Pollution
The Council continues to maintain five measurement stations in the Borough
in collaboration with the Ministry of Technology at Warren Springs Laboratory,
Stevenage.
The results show that a satisfactory decrease in the concentration of
suspended solids - as shown by a "smoke stain" on a filter paper - is being
maintained. The same is not true, regrettably in the measurement of the oxides
of sulphur, which continue to show a rise in degree of concentration. This rise
is undoubtedly due to an increased use in Industry of the heavier residual fractions
of crude oil.
It is cogent here to state that this does not apply to the lighter distillate
fractions of oil used in domestic central heating appliances and particularly to
the fuel oils used in motor traction engines. These latter fuels are comparatively
free from sulphur contamination. Here again, the increasing use of the heavy
grades of fuel oil, requiring, for the control of emission of the oxides of sulphur,
much higher chimneys must exercise influence in design of new buildings and in
town planning.