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20
quiry it was found that a soft Nottingham slack costing about 20/per
ton was being burned, whereas formerly semi-anthracite peas
costing 30/- per ton had been used. Although the firm was saving
£250 per annum on their coal bill the district around the works
was subjected to a very bad smoke nuisance.
There was one prosecution during the year against the
owners of a laundry for emitting black smoke, and a fine was imposed.
The nuisance arose through the use of unsuitable coal in
a boiler of insufficient capacity to meet the demands for steam. A
new boiler of sufficient capacity is now about to be installed.
On the investigation of a complaint from the emission of ash
it was found that the firm was burning in their boiler as fuel, wood
waste and saw dust. Coal is now being burned.
Many laundries in the borough are using boilers of the locomotive
type. These are good smoke producers, and as all efforts
to prevent smoke nuisances from this class of boiler have failed,
many firms are replacing them by boilers of the Paxman type.
Complaints are frequently received of smoke nuisances on
vacant land caused through the burning of wood waste, sawdust,
old motor tyres, ets. As such offences do not constitute nuisances
under the Smoke Clauses of the Public Health Acts, nothing beyond
persuasion can be done to abate them.
BIRTHS.
Table 7 gives particulars of the births registered and notified
in the district, and the births belonging to the district, which
have occurred and been registered outside the district.
The total number of registered births is obtained from the
Registrar-General on form S.D.30. The notified births are obtained
through the notification of births in the district, and from those
Medical Officers of Health of districts in wliich outside births have
occurred, and who have sent lists during the year.
The total number of births registered was 943:483 males
and 460 females. This figure is equal to a birth-rate of 13.57 per
1,000 inhabitants. In addition 32 still births were registered as
belonging to the district.
The birth-rate is 1 per 1,000 higher than that of 1933, and
the number is 57 higher in 1934 than in 1933.
If Table I at the end of the report be examined it will be observed
that both the birth-rate and the death-rate of Acton are