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Other trade nuisances referred to in the reports of medical officers of health are as follows—
Hammersmith.—Nuisance from factories in the neighbourhood of Fulham - palace - road.
Nuisance from emission of dust from the shaft of the Brook-green Carpet Cleaning Works.
Poplar.—Nuisance from oil boiling, the vapours from oil pots being allowed to escape into the
atmosphere. Escape of sulphuretted hydrogen from main shaft of sulphate of ammonia works.
Nuisance from smoke holes used for fish curing. Nuisance from indiarubber works, sulphuric acid
works, nitric acid works, asphalte works, tar works, varnish works, cocoanut oil works, and from
premises where fish skins are scraped and dried.
Battersea.—Nuisance from the roasting of barley and coffee, especially the former. Barley is
placed in a revolving drum, to which naked gas jets are applied, the barley being almost burnt to a
cinder. "When sufficiently charred, it is removed on to the concrete floor of the building, from which
volumes of smoke of a pungent character are given out." Emission of vapour from works in which
cyanide of potassium is manufactured. "Numerous buildings in the vicinity of the works had been
coated with a substance resembling Prussian blue." Nuisance from the scraping and drying of skate
skins " which is effected by allowing the skins to become somewhat putrid, in order that the particles
of flesh adhering thereto, may be more easily removed; the skins are then stretched on boards and
exposed in the open air."
Smoke nuisances.
Reference to the subject of smoke nuisances is found in the majority of the annual reports
relating to London districts, thus—
Holborn.—There are 67 furnaces and boilers on the register which are periodically inspected.
There are 10 kinds of smoke consumers in the district. The number of furnaces and boilers with
smoke consumers is 39, and without, 28; this is an increase of 8 smoke consumers during the year.
The number of notices served during the year was 6.
City.—The report of the medical officer of health contains an interesting chapter on the subject
of smoke nuisances. A special inspector is employed, and photography is used to fix upon the exact
source of the nuisance. In 63 cases notices were served or warnings given, and in 6 cases legal
proceedings were instituted. " Of 6 cases heard before a magistrate, 5 were dismissed with an
abatement order, and no fine inflicted, although some of them were old offenders and had been
previously convicted, and in the face of the clearest evidence, that the nuisance was a recurring one,
in spite of many warnings from the smoke inspector before legal proceedings were resorted to."
During the year the medical officer of health was instructed to "advise upon the best means to adopt
with a view of stopping the nuisance of smoke from the City restaurants." He states that there are in
the City 614 establishments in which food is cooked for sale, this number not including places where
gas stoves are used, and he observes that " the substitution of gas stoves for the present clumsy way
of firing with soft bituminous coal would, under proper regulations as to ventilation, &c., render the
escape of black smoke into the atmosphere impossible, and ensure greater cleanliness and economy."
He refers also to the Siemen's method of burning coke with ordinary coal gas.
Shoreditch.—Eight intimations were received from the London County Council, and in 25 cases
notices were served.
Poplar.—In 43 instances smoke nuisance was dealt with, stated to be due to defective apparatus
and burning of inferior fuel.
Bermondsey—Reports have been received of 497 cases in which chimneys and shafts have been
kept under observation. Statutory notices were served in 46 cases, and 10 summonses were taken out.
Lambeth.—The London County Council drew the attention of the Lambeth Vestry to smoke
nuisance on 32 occasions, the communications relating to 15 premises; there were 15 other premises
in connection with which action was specially taken. Nine of the Council's complaints were in connection
with the potteries on the Albert-embankment.
Plumstead.—Nuisance by black smoke from the Arsenal chimneys was not so pronounced as in
some former years, but more than there should be. The number of cases of smoke nuisance dealt with
in other districts was as follows: Hammersmith, "several"; St. George, Hanover-square, 10; Westminster,
43; St. James, Westminster, 4 ; Marylebone, 18; St. Pancras, 17 ; Islington, 879 " visits " ;
Hackney, 27 ; Clerkenwell, 4; Bethnal-green, 7 ; Whitechapel, 6; St. George-in-the-East, 14 ; Limehouse,
23; Mile-end Old-town, 7; St. George, Southwark, 6; St. Olave, 3; Rotherhithe, 23 ; Camberwell,
59 ; Greenwich, 57 ; Battersea, 36 ; Wandsworth, 3.
Nuisance from stable manure.
Nuisance from stable manure is referred to in several of the reports of medical officers of health,
the increased use of peat-moss litter for horses having given rise to much complaint, thus—
Paddington.—"There was the usual recurrent difficulty in connection with the manure during
the summer months, hay-harvest-time. With that exception there was no cause for complaint except of
effluvia from the removal of peat-moss manure. There is no doubt that the use of this litter should be
put under more restrictive regulations. It is saturated with urine and dung when removed from the
stall (the excremental matters forming a far larger proportion of peat than of straw manure), and emits
a particularly nauseating odour when turned over."
Kensington.—Owing to the operation of the Council's by-law complaints are now few in number,
as the sunken dung-pit is now almost a thing of the past. " Nuisance often arises from the storage,
and still more in the removal and transit through the streets of horse-dung manure, especially when peat
moss litter is used." The medical officer of health refers to a letter which I was instructed by the Public
Health Committee of the London County Council to address to medical officers of health inquiring as
to the need of an amendment of the law which would empower sanitary authorities to charge for the
removal of manure, and he states that he is of opinion that in the interests of the public health it
should be made a statutory duty to remove manure, and that they should be authorised to charge the