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62
In a letter dated the 10th March, 1908, the London County Council
invited the views of the Corporation with regard to proposals* for conferring
additional powers upon the London County Council and the several Metropolitan
Boroughs for the prevention and abatement of smoke nuisances.
The following were the suggestions made by the Council, viz. (a) to (f),
your Medical Officer's comments thereon being added thereto in each case:—
(a) That dense smoke discharged from any building, vessel, stationary
or locomotive engine, place or premises (other than a private dwelling
house) within the area of the City and the County of London and the
surrounding urban districts to a distance of twelve miles of Charing
Cross, or upon the waters of the Port of London and its tributaries
within such area, shall be a nuisance, for which a fine not exceeding £10
may be imposed, with cumulative penalties for subsequent offences at the
discretion of the magistrate.
The substitution of the word "dense" for "black" will enable local
authorities to abate many smoke nuisances that under existing circumstances
it is difficult to deal with on account of its not being "black."
(b) That the Council shall have power to make Bye-laws, subject to
the approval of the Home Office or the Local Government Board.
i. To bring under the terms of the provision set out in conclusion
(a) other instances of avoidable smoke nuisance.
ii. To prescribe and revise from time to time a standard of smoke
nuisance to further define emissions of smoke to be liable to
penalties.
iii. To prohibit the adoption in new or reconstructed factories,
premises or buildings, or any furnace, or grate or other fuel
consuming apparatus of a type which shall have been proved
to the satisfaction of the Council to produce an unnecessary
amount of smoke.
iv. To prescribe any additional measures or requirements necessary
for the suppression and prevention of smoke nuisance.
v. To provide a penalty for the breach of any such Bye-law not
exceeding the penalty specified in conclusion (a).
The Bye-laws would cover such an extensive range of subjects for regulation
that they might greatly affect the interests of manufacturers with regard
to iii. and of owners of private dwellings. Although, in the main, Bye-laws
for such purposes may be deemed desirable, they will have to be very carefully
considered by the proposed confirming authorities.
*On the 12th March this year some modification of these proposals were considered at a conference of
the Public Control Committee of the London County Council with representatives of the Corporation of
London and the Metropolitan Borough Councils, held at the County Hall, Spring Gardens.