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trade premises. As regards railway locomotives, section 114 of the Railway Clauses
Consolidation Act, 1845, requires that every locomotive shall be constructed on the
principle of consuming its own smoke, and section 19 of the Regulation of Railways
Act, 1868, enacts that, if a locomotive fails to do this, the railway company shall
be guilty of an offence. Nine prosecutions were instituted against railway companies;
9 convictions were obtained, penalties and costs amounting to £27 lis.
being imposed. Two prosecutions were instituted in respect of smoke nuisance
from road locomotives; 2 convictions were obtained, the penalties and costs imposed
amounting to £1 10s. 6d.
Particulars of the work carried out during the year in connection with the
suppression of smoke nuisance are as follow :—
(1) Railway locomotives:—Nuisances reported—17. Prosecutions—9. Convictions—9.
Total of fines and costs imposed—£27 lis.
(2) Road locomotives:—Nuisances reported—12. Prosecutions—2. Convictions—2.
Total of fines imposed—£1 10s. 6d.
(3) Premises :—Reports made as to alleged nuisances—244. Cases in which
legal proceedings were taken by metropolitan borough councils as the result of such
reports—nil.
The Diseases of Animals Acts, 1894 to 1927, the object of which is the suppression
of contagious diseases in animals, naturally do not affect London so much is they do
the country. In London, apart from swine fever, attention is now principally directed
to glanders, anthrax, rabies, parasitic mange and foot and mouth disease, diseases
which are communicable to man. The Acts are supplemented by Orders issued by
the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. During 1927 the incidence of the principal
animal diseases so far as London is concerned was as follows:—Glanders, including
farcy, nil; swine fever, 4 outbreaks in which 314 animals were involved; anthrax,
nil; parasitic mange, 65 outbreaks involving 127 animals; foot and mouth disease,
nil.
During the year the Islington Metropolitan Borough Council asked the Council
to support an application made by it to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries for
the extension of the application of the Anthrax Order, 1910, made under the Diseases
of Animals Acts, so as to cover all animals. Under that Order, the expression
"Animals" is defined as meaning cattle, sheep and goats, and all other ruminating
animals, and swine, horses, asses, mules and dogs. The Order contains many
stringent provisions, with a view to preventing the spread of the disease, and requires
the local authority to destroy all affected carcases and to cleanse and disinfect at
its own expense all stables and buildings in which an animal has died or been slaughtered
and everything used for or about any diseased animal or carcase. It occasionally
happens that animals other than those specified in the above-mentioned definition
contract anthrax, for instance, lions and other carnivorous animals. Recently, two
elephants in London contracted the disease. In such cases, the local authority has
no control over the carcase, and in some instances the owners have removed the skin
and other valuable portions of the animal for preservation. It is extremely important
that in a case of such a serious disease as anthrax, which is communicable to man,
the carcase should be entirely disposed of without undue cutting or dismemberment.
Having regard to the extreme danger attendant upon the handling of infected
carcases, the Council on 1st March, 1927, decided to support the application of the
Borough Council.
Swine fever has been very prevalent throughout Great Britain during the past
few years and 4 outbreaks were dealt with in London during the year. During
1927 no fewer than 20;683 swine were examined at feeders' premises.
The Council is convinced that the most efficacious measures for stamping out
hydrophobia are muzzling, the seizure of all stray dogs and the regulation of the
importation of dogs. Under the Dogs Act, 1906, which revoked all then existing
Diseases of
Animals.
Anthrax,
Swine fever.
Rabies.