London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1907

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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The districts in which these premises are situated, the number of premises, and, for some districts, the number of inspections, are shown in the following table:—

Premises used for scheduled offensive businesses.

Sanitary area.No. on Register * at end of 1907.No. of Inspections, 1907.Sanitary area.No. on Register * at end of 1907.No. of Inspections, 1907.
Kensington137Poplar957
Hammersmith496South wark779
St. Marylebone2Bermondsey12135
St. Pancras2Lambeth4
Islington7118Battersea229
Hackney212W ands worth6111
w Finsbury1Camberwell4
Shoreditch16Deptford451
Bethnal Green16Greenwic2
Stepney816Woolwich1

In 1907 the Council made new bylaws for the following offensive businesses (1) bone boiler,
manure manufacturer and tallow melter ; (2) soap boiler, (3) tripe boiler, (4) gut scraper and cat-gut
maker or cat-gut manufacturer, (5) fat melter or fat extractor, (6) glue and size manufacturer, (7)
knacker, (8) fellmonger, (9) dresser of fish skins and decided to apply to the Local Government Board
for their confirmation. A material point in which these bylaws differ from those which they supersede
is in the extension of the principle of the use of a " closed chamber " to all offensive processes and
in improvement in the method of ventilation of these chambers.
Nuisances.
SmoJce nuisance.
References in the annual reports to smoke nuisances indicate that among the chief offenders
are electricity generating stations and bakehouses. Dr. Reginald Dudfield is able to report that during
the last three years there has been decreasing evidence of smoke nuisance in Paddington, a result
which, he says, is partially attributable to the removal from the borough of the Great Western Company's
electric generating station. Dr. Priestley states that in 1907 no nuisance was experienced from
the 37 shafts from the potteries in that district, a result in part explicable by the firms in
question employing smoke inspectors of their own to observe hourly the chimney shafts, and by a
system of a bonus distribution once or twice a year to those stokers against whom there were no
complaints of neglect. The need for amendment of the law continues to be urged, so as to substitute
other words for " black smoke," and thus secure some definition of the amount of smoke which is to
be nrohibited.

The following table, which is compiled from information contained in the annual reports, shows the action taken by sanitary authorities in respect of smoke nuisance during the year.

Sanitary Area.Observations and inspections.Nuisances and complaints.intimations.Notices.Summonses.
Paddington119
Kensington
Hammersmith34 (promises)816
Fulham105
Chelsea1
Westminster, City of2,41748106152
St. Marylebone653 observations2212
Hampstead496 inspections4
St. Pancras76215
Islington825
Stoke Newington1
Hackney1,6392583
Holborn104133
Finsbury1304120163
London, City of3411212
Shoreditch271
Bethnal Green560 (premises)34
Stepney1043
Poplar10256486
South wark525662288
Bermondsey271 (chimneys)55
Lambeth580644
Battersea75681216
W andsworth603
Camberwell82
Deptford1882929
Greenwich3058
Lewisham176721
Woolwich1061010

* The business at some of these premises was discontinued during the year 190/ ; as however the statutoryperiod
of nine months had not elapsed at the end of the year the entries relating to these premises were not cancelled
in the Council's register.