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63
ATMOSPHERE.
Stroke.—In the Annual Report for 1902 the enactments dealing with smoke
were set out in full.
Every year the London County Council issue a number of summonses
against railway companies in respect of nuisances from smoke from locomotives,
and obtain considerable penalties. See reports of London County Council's
proceedings. Under the Railways Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845 (8 & 9 Vict.,
ch. 20), sections cxliv., cxlv., and cl., and the Regulation of Railways Act,
1868 (31 & 32 Vict., ch. 119), sections 19 and 40, there is no reason why the
Borough Council should not take similar action, and, in fact, the Battersea
Borough Council has taken successful action.
In Tables 13 (a) and 13 (6) in the Appendix it will be seen that during the
year intimation notices were served in 24 cases of black smoke issuing in
such a quantity as to be a nuisance, in 7 cases of smoke discharging in such
a manner as to cause part of a building to be a nuisance dangerous to health,
and 5 cases of furnaces improperly constructed or negligently used, and also
of 4 cases of effluvia arising from trade premises so as to be a nuisance dangerous
to the inhabitants of the district.
It will also be seen in Table 12 (a) that there are 221 smoke shafts on the
Register, and 185 observations were taken of these, mainly upon complaints
received, and that 118 re-inspections were made. These observations or
inspections and re-inspections occupy a considerable amount of time, as the
intervals between stoking are of considerable duration—at least twenty
minutes.
§ 3.—DWELLINGS.
(a) House-to-House Inquiries and Inspections.—For the purpose of ascertaining
the mode of sub-letting, 1,019 inquiries were made from house to house in
tenemented streets. For the purpose of discovering underground dwellings
2,423 inspections were made from house to house in tenemented streets with
basements below ground level (Table 12 a). When the mode of occupation
and sub-letting of a dwelling-house appears to a District Sanitary Inspector
to be such as to necessitate periodical supervision of the condition of the
premises he is instructed to report upon the printed form to the Medical
Officer of Health with a view to considering the necessity for registration by
the Public Health Committee.
(b) Tenement Houses.—During the year 42 tenement lodging-houses
were measured for registration, and at the end of the year 1,838 houses
were upon the Register for periodical inspection ; 2,307 periodical half-yearly
inspections of these houses were made, and 5,535 re-inspections after the
service of notices. Also of the 212 dwellings entered in the Register of
inscribed dwellings 411 inspections were made, and 174 re inspections after
notices served.
In Part "VI., under the head of Legislation, will be found quoted the case
of Nokes and Nokes v. the Mayor, etc., of Islington, in which it was held that
under the By-laws for Houses let in Lodgings it must be provided that the
owner shall have notice before being subject to penalties for noncompliance
with the By-laws.
(c) Underground Dwellings.—During the year there were on the Register
36 underground dwellings ordered to be closed, of which 16 inspections were
made, and 185 re-inspections after notices sent.