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13
Verminous Persons.
The Department's Cleansing of Persons Baths in Lisson Grove dealt with 478 verminous persons :
adults 304 (men, 268 ; women, 36) ; children, 174 (boys, 21 ; girls, 153).
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.
A lower number of complaints, 84 compared with 108 in 1961 and 144 in 1960, was accompanied
by a reduction in the total number of smoke offences detected, 43 against 63 in 1961 and 48 in 1960.
Dark smoke was timed on 76 occasions but in six cases only did the emissions contravene Section 1
of the Clean Air Act, 1956 by exceeding the limits prescribed in the Dark Smoke (Permitted Periods)
Regulations, 1958.
Contraventions of Section 11 of the Clean Air Act in respect of smoke discharged from the chimneys
of buildings situated in Smoke Control Areas were observed on 10 occasions and there were 27 infringements
of Section 16 arising out of smoke causing nuisance to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.
Notification of the intention to instal new furnaces as required by Section 3 of the Clean Air Act was
given in 26 cases.
A fifth Smoke Control Order covering the premises in Ward 8 (Portman Square) came into operation
on the 1st October, 1962. A sixth Order in respect of Bryanston Square Ward which will become
operative on the 1st October, 1963 was made by the Council and confirmed by the Minister of Housing
and Local Government. A survey of Ward No. 6 (Dorset Square) and Ward No. 9 (Park Crescent)
was commenced in preparation for a seventh Smoke Control Order.
At the end of the year Smoke Control Orders in respect of 23,503 premises in 743 acres of the Borough
had been made and confirmed by the Minister.
Atmospheric pollution was measured at four sites and the statistics are shown in Tables Nos. 10
and 11, page 33
In consequence of changes in the methods of assessing and reporting pollution, comparative
figures for previous years have been omitted. Smoke filter stains are assessed by the use of a reflectometer
and the concentrations of smoke and sulphur dioxide are calculated by a computer at Warren
Spring Laboratory. The average concentrations over periods of four or five complete weeks are
reported by the Laboratory in microgrammes per cubic meter.
During the first week in December, " smog " conditions prevailed over a period of five days.
On the 1st August, 1962 the use of obsolescent lead dioxide instruments and the use of deposit
gauges, the results from which are no longer required by the Department of Scientific and Industrial
Research, was discontinued preparatory to the establishment of additional sites at which the concentrations
of smoke and sulphur dioxide will be measured by means of volumetric instruments.
Offices.
There are some 3,511 office buildings in the Borough but there is at present no record of the number
of individual offices.
The Offices Act, 1960, came into operation on the 1st January, 1962. Regulations for securing
the health, safety and welfare of employees have not yet been made but preliminary inspections
of 88 offices were made during the year.
Shops.
There are 2,482 shops in the Borough which, in addition to regular visits to food shops, necessitated
280 special inspections.
Factories.
There were 1,623 factories on the register at the end of the year, 158 less than last year. A report
on the administration by the Department of matters under Parts I and VIII of the Factories Act,
1961, is given in Tables 12 and 13, page 34.