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During 1929 sanction was given in three cases to the establishment anew of the
business of a dresser of fur-skins and also to the establishment anew of the business
of a slaughterer of poultry. In three instances the period for which the carrying on
of offensive businesses was authorised was extended.
The numbers of cowhouses licensed by the Council in the past five years were
as follows 1925, 84 ; 1926, 75 ; 1927, 65 ; 1928, 55 ; 1929, 52.
Proceedings as indicated below were taken by the Council during 1929 with
regard to smoke nuisance from railway and road locomotives, and some proceedings
were also instituted by the sanitary authorities in respect of smoke nuisance from
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.
Particulars of the work carried out during the year in connection with the
suppression of smoke nuisance are as follows :—
(1) Railway locomotives .'—Nuisances reported—26. Prosecutions—23. Convictions—23.
Total of fines and costs imposed—£63 9s.
(2) Road locomotives :—Nuisances reported—8. Prosecutions—6. Convictions
—5. Total of fines imposed—15s. 6d.
(3) Premises:—Reports made as to alleged nuisances—580. Cases in which
legal proceedings were taken by metropolitan borough councils—7.
Section 2 of the Public Health (Smoke Abatement) Act, 1926, provides that the
Council may make byelaws regulating the emission of smoke of such colour, density,
or content, as may be prescribed, from buildings generally to which the enactments
relating to smoke nuisance apply or from such classes of those buildings as may be
so prescribed. With the object of securing a reasonable measure of uniformity in
byelaws and in administration regarding smoke abatement, a conference of representatives
of local authorities of London and Greater London was held on 3rd
November, 1927. As a result of this conference a Greater London Joint Smoke
Abatement Committee, composed of representatives of local authorities and
of industry and other interested bodies, was set up. The recommendations
contained in the report of this Committee were adopted by the conference of representatives
at a meeting held on 15th October, 1929. A recommendation relating
to the period of emission of black smoke is being considered by the Council with a
view to the framing of a byelaw under the Act.
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 as they
do the country. In London, apart from swine fever, attention is 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 1929 the incidence of
Offensive
businesses.
Cowhouses,
Smoke
nuisance.
Diseases of
animals.