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130 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
would just about have covered the cost under these circumstances.
The Council, however, are in this difficulty, that they cannot get
any firm to take away the garbage without payment, and at the
present time, are paying the Belvedere Fish Guano Co. about £4
per week, that is, after deducting the value of the material, this
of course adds considerably to the cost of the service, and if this
were continued, even 6d. per tin would not be sufficient to pay
expenses. It is impossible to burn so much garbage at the
Destructor.
In 1901, I was instituting inquiries as to the possibility of
dealing with this material by means of a special drying cylinder,
and I found that it was quite possible to do so with the waste heat
at the Destructor as done at Bradford. The cost of the plant and
suitable buildings would be about £1,000, the annual cost of disposal
would therefore be:—
£ s. d.
Wages— one man @ 27/- 70 0 0
Repayment of loan (say 10 years) 100 0 0
Interest— 3% per cent., average 17 10 0
Repairs and Sundries 12 10 0
£200 0 0
The quantity of manure produced from the weekly collection
of offal (12 tons), would be at least two tons per week (probably
more), and £3 per ton could be obtained for the manure, this
would give a return of £312 per annum, so that the sale would
more than cover the cost of disposal and the balance would go to
reduce the cost of collection.
Under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, it is not permitted
to establish anew the business of a Manure Manufacturer,
but the Medical Officer of Health has, I understand, been in communication
with the Medical Officer of Health to the London
County Council, and they are of opinion that this could be got
over as it is the simplest method of disposing of such offensive
material. I have a proposal from a firm named F.S.Hempleman
and Co., of West Ham, to undertake to collect and dispose of fish
and butcher's waste in the Borough on the following terms:—