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well prove detrimental to the health of the general public. In view
of the concensus of opinion in favour, the Metropolitan Boroughs'
Standing Joint Committee agreed to support the invitation to invite
the London Transport Executive to reconsider their decision to
introduce additional diesel engined omnibuses and also to urge
Government Departments to consider the need for research to be
made into the whole question of air pollution by both diesel and
petrol engined vehicles.
The Minister of Housing and Local Government fixed the
appointed day for the operation of the Clean Air Act, 1956 for the
31st December, 1956 with the exception of certain provisions of
that Act, the principal of which are as follows:—
Section Subject
1 Prohibition of dark smoke from chimneys.
2 Temporary exemptions from Section 1.
5 Requirement that grit and dust from furnaces shall
be minimised.
6 Requirement that new furnaces shall be fitted with
plant to arrest grit and dust.
7 Require measurements of grit and dust emitted from
furnaces.
8 Information about furnace and fuel consumption.
9 Similar information as required under Sections 5, 6,
7 and 8 in respect of outdoor furnaces, etc.
Section 2 of the Clean Air Act", the appointed day for which
the Minister has yet to fix, states it shall be a defence to prove (a)
that contravention of Section 1 was due to the nature of the
building or its equipment and was not due to any failure properly
to maintain the building or properly to maintain and use the
equipment of the building; and (b) that it had not been practicable
to alter or equip the building so as to enable it to be used or fully
used for the purpose for which it was intended without the likelihood
of contravening the provisions of Section 1.
Section 3 (1) of the Act requires that no furnace shall be
installed in a building or in any boiler or industrial plant attached
to a building or for the time being fixed to or installed on any
land unless it is so far as practicable, capable of being operated
continuously without emitting smoke when burning fuel of a type
for which the furnace was designed and any person who instals a
furnace in contravention of this subsection or on whose instructions
a furnace is so installed shall be guilty of an offence provided that
this subsection shall not apply to a furnace the installation of which
had begun or an agreement for the purchase or installation of
which had been entered into before the appointed day.
Further any furnace installed in accordance with plans and
specifications submitted to and approved for the purposes of this
Section by the local authority shall be deemed to have complied
with the provisions of subsection (1) of this Section.
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