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(6) The Common Council may in any resolution passed in pursuance of this section
provide in relation to any premises specified in that resolution that the provisions of this section
shall not apply to such premises or that the application of the provisions of this section to such
premises shall be deferred for such period as may be specified in that resolution:
Provided that where in any resolution provision is made relating to any premises specified
therein in pursuance of this sub-section a copy of the resolution shall as soon as practicable after
the passing thereof be served on the owner and the occupier of the premises specified therein.
(7) A resolution passed in pursuance of this section may be varied or revoked by another
resolution passed by the Common Council in like manner and subject to like provisions.
(8) A copy of a newspaper containing a notice published in pursuance of sub-section (5)
of this section shall be sufficient evidence of the publication of the notice and of the date of
the publication.
(9) Nothing in this section shall apply to smoke emitted from a railway locomotive.
(10) As from the date fixed in pursuance of sub-section (5) of this section section 14
(Further bye-laws for regulating smoke) of the City of London (Various Powers) Act 1946 is
hereby repealed.
(11) For the purposes of this section the execution of works includes the provision
alteration or adaptation of fixtures fittings and appliances and the expression "smoke" includes
soot ash grit or gritty particles.
As regards the measurement of atmospheric pollution, Mr. McGrath of my department who
has charge of the recording instruments reports as follows:—
"The measurement of atmospheric pollution at Golden Lane and Finsbury Circus continued
during the year, and the Table shows the results obtained. The methods used have been
described in previous reports. They are similar to the kinds employed throughout the country
to obtain exact information about the nature and extent of atmospheric pollution. Nearly 200
local authorities co-operate in the work and the total number of instruments in use exceeds 1,200.
The work of co-ordinating all the results obtained is undertaken by the Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research. For this purpose returns are sent monthly by each of the
local authorities to the Department at the Fuel Research Station, Greenwich. Periodically the
Department issues reports drawing attention to any significant changes in pollution over the
country as a whole with an analysis of the possible causes of the changes.
During the year three more sets of apparatus were authorised by the Public Health
Committee for use in the City of London to measure smoke and sulphur pollution by the
volumetric apparatus similar to the one which has been in operation since 1948. The additional
instruments are sited in the Police Stations at Snow Hill, Cloak Lane and Bishopsgate.
The measurements taken in the City during 1954 do not indicate any significant change.
Compared with 1953 the monthly average of total solids deposited in the rainwater gauge at
Golden Lane shows an increase of 1.14 tons per square mile, but compared with the average for
the five years 1949/1953 there is a decrease in the average monthly deposit of 1.35 tons per
square mile. The considerable month to month variation follows the pattern of previous years.
This is primarily due to fluctuations in meteriological factors such as fog, rainfall and the speed
and direction of wind. The results for April and June emphasize this. The lowest recorded
rainfall was in April and the greatest in June. In April the rainfall was 4 millimetres, or 0.1 of
an inch, with a total solids deposit of 7.63 tons per square mile, whilst in June 78 millimetres, or
3.0 inches, of rainfall resulted in a deposit of 22.30 tons per square mile. Factors contributing
to the increase in the deposit for 1954, as compared with the two previous years, might well be of
local origin, viz. the demolition of derelict buildings, the removal of builders refuse and the
construction of new buildings in the immediate neighbourhood of the station.
Sulphur pollution remained fairly constant. There is little variation in the monthly or
yearly figures of the last six years as shown by either of the methods employed for determining
the amount of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere. The amounts recorded by the lead peroxide
method show a slight decrease for 1954 at Golden Lane compared with the average for the
previous five years and a slight increase at Finsbury Circus. By the more reliable volumetric
method the monthly average of sulphur dioxide, expressed as parts per 100 million parts of air,
was 9.7 in 1954, compared with 10.9, the average of the previous five years. An indication of the
significance of these concentrations may be obtained by reference to the limits of safety for those
employed in manufacturing processes producing sulphur dioxide. The figure quoted for the
guidance of industrial firms is 100 parts per 100 million parts of air.
In the Annual Report for 1951 reference was made to the large electricity generating station
in course of construction on the south side of the River; to the faot that it is impracticable to
remove sulphur compounds from the chimney gases of any but the very largest installations, and
that even in such installations it is not possible, for economio and technical reasons, to stop
entirely the pollution from sulphur. During 1954 complaint was received of inconvenience and
some ill effect on health from certain occupiers of premises situate on the north bank of the River.
Concern was also expressed of the effect of the pollution on the fabric of St. Paul's Cathedral.
The cause was attributed to the Bankside Power Station which had commenced operations in
the latter months of 1952—gas washing of the chimney flue gases being introduced in July, 1953.
No positive action has been taken to reduce the emission of sulphur except at three large
generating stations in London, of which Bankside "B" Station, as it is named, is one. The
Bankside Station is required by Parliament to remove the greater part of the sulphur compounds
from the chimney gases. This stipulation has focussed attention on electricity generating
stations as a source of pollution by sulphur, and the enormous volume of water vapour emitted
as a consequence of the gas-washing process has lead to the mistaken impression on the part of
the general public that vast quantities of noxious gases are being discharged into the atmosphere
from Bankside, whereas the emission of invisible sulphur compounds from other fuel burning
installations where there is no gas washing plant is not recognised.