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77
(/) That the Council shall be the paramount authority for the whole
area above defined, and, as such, shall have power to expend money for
the purpose of
(i) Promoting a knowledge of the principles of
(a) Combustion of fuel.
(b) Furnace and grate construction.
(c) Stoking.
(ii) Encouraging the study of the scientific heating of houses or
the use of smokeless fuels with a view to the reduction of nuisance
from the open fire-grate.
(iii) Determining, generally, the best means for securing the
prevention of smoke in the consumption of fuel.
At the request of the Public Health Committee I submitted the
following report:—
" The law, whereby smoke nuisance in London may be dealt with, is
contained in Sections 23 and 24 of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891. They refer to factories and other business premises and steamboats,
and in Section 23 and Sub-section (a) of Section 24 there is a
proviso that any complaint shall be dismissed if the Court is satisfied
that the fireplace or furnace is constructed in such a manner as to
consume its smoke as far as practicable, having regard to the nature of
the manufacture or trade, and has been carefully attended. As it is
difficult to prove defective construction or negligent use, action is
generally taken under Section 24 (b), which does not contain the above
proviso, but provides that any chimney (not being the chimney of a
private dwelling house) sending forth black smoke in such quantity as
to be a nuisance shall be a nuisance punishable under the Act.
" Before action can be taken under 24 (b) the chimney must he
sending forth smoke—
" (1) That is black ;
" (2) In such quantity as to he a nuisance ;
and then proceedings cannot be taken against an offender until notices
have been served.
" As a rule, smoke in London is black, and only occasionally is
smoke of a brown or bluish hue observable. It may, however, vary
considerably in density and volume, and consequently, if the black
particles are widely separated from one another, allowing daylight to
pass between, the smoke may have a grey appearance. Such smoke may
be given off in considerable volume, as where there are a number of
furnaces, each consuming its own smoke fairly well, but all discharging
into one chimney. Smoke which appears to be quite opaque at the
point of exit from the chimney may not be of great volume, but usually
f