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12
Verminous Persons.
The Council's Cleansing Station in Lisson Grove dealt with 918 verminous persons : adults 630
(men 535, women 95) ; children 288 (boys 54, girls 234).
Shelter.
It was not necessary during the year to make use of the shelter accommodation provided at No. 217,
Lisson Grove, under section 195 (4) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, for families temporarily
dispossessed of their homes. The room set aside for this purpose was, however, utilised for other
public health work.
Air Pollution.
The Annual Report for 1954 contained some account of the work of the Department in the field of
smoke abatement. This is a subject with which the Council have long been seriously concerned, more
particularly since the disastrous fog of 1952, following which a Smoke Abatement Sub-Committee
of the Public Health Committee was set up.
General Policy.—The Council's policy has been to extend and strengthen co-operation with the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, with neighbouring authorities and with other bodies
dealing with the general problem. Representations were made jointly by St. Marylebone, Hampstead,
Paddington and St. Pancras Borough Councils urging the British Transport Commission to accelerate
their plans for the modernisation of the motive power on main lines approaching London termini.
Replies were received from the three railway regions concerned drawing attention to the schemes
for the introduction of diesel or electric traction contained in the Railway Development Plan announced
earlier in the year and giving assurances that every attention would be given to keep smoke emissions
to a minimum. When the Clean Air Bill came before Parliament the Council made special representations
with a view to curtailing the exemptions in favour of railway engines and endeavoured to secure the
amendment of clause 11 (2) so as to include hire purchase costs on the installation of smokeless fuel
equipment in the expenditure ranking for grant provided that the deposit paid by the person entering
into the hire purchase agreement should not be less than the amount of such grant.
Pollution Recording Apparatus.—In addition to the two grit deposit gauges and three sulphur
trioxide measuring instruments which the Council have maintained during the past two years, on the
suggestion of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research they set up two volumetric
instruments for the daily recording of the amounts of smoke and sulphur dioxide in the air. These
instruments came into operation from the beginning of June and in especially foggy periods readings
are taken from them at three-hourly intervals throughout the day and night. The results are sent to
the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for collation and expert examination and are
published in their monthly bulletin. St. Marylebone also, through the warden service and with the
help of some of the members of the official staff, agreed to co-operate in a special scheme for taking
readings of air pollution at various points in the Borough with portable apparatus during selected
periods of fog.
Publicity and Education.—A publicity campaign using posters and pamphlets was continued and
the larger fuel consumers were urged to encourage their stokers to take special courses of instruction
in boilerhouse practice given at technical schools. A further feature of the campaign was a Clean Air
Week, the inaugural meeting of which was held at the Town Hall on the 3rd October under the chairmanship
of the deputy Mayor. To this meeting, representatives of all the larger fuel users and property
owners in the Borough were invited as well as fuel merchants and others particularly concerned with the
problem of smokeless heating. They were addressed by Sir Hugh Beaver and Air Chief Marshal Sir
Leslie Hollinghurst, C.B.E., K.C.B., D.F.C. The Solid Smokeless Fuels Federation co-operated by
arranging for their mobile exhibition to tour the Borough and set up at sites including Montagu Square,
Carlton Hill, Barrow Hill, Church Street and the John Lewis site in Oxford Street. The recorded
number of visitors to the exhibition was 2,384 and 961 enquiries resulted.
Inspection and Investigation of Complaints.—During the year there were 55 complaints alleging
nuisance from smoke, grit or fumes. This was an increase of eight on the number in 1954. Although
in recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of complaints, it is believed that this is
due more to a growing public interest in air pollution rather than to any greater incidence of smoke
emission. In all cases of complaint investigations were made and remedies effected by means of
informal action. In some cases this consisted of drawing the attention of managements to defects
in plant or instruments and in most cases advice was also given to boilerhouse staff. Where necessary,
managements were also recommended to call in specialised technical assistance and, where circumstances
warranted it, the installation of smoke warning systems was requested. In all, 669 inspections and
observations were made, No legal proceedings were necessary and fuel consumers generally wer§