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To this end the Corporation decided that the Thames View
Estate should be a smoke control area. This is to be achieved by
making it a condition of tenancy that only smokeless fuel shall be
used in the special approved grates installed in the new houses now
being erectcd.
There is an increasing awareness of the need for wide public
support for smoke abatement. Accordingly a campaign was put in
hand to encourage the use of smokeless fuel in domestic grates. This
included holding a meeting in the form of a "Brains Trust" with a
panel of experts to answer questions put by members of the public.
Further propaganda included a tour of the district by the mobile
exhibition of the Solid Smokeless Fuels Federation and a static
exhibition in the Baths Hall with the co-operation of the Solid Smokeless
Fuels Federation, the North Thames Gas Board and the London
Electricity Board.
Industrial Smoke
The control of industrial smoke is provided for in the Public
Health Act. 1936, and Smoke Byelaws. The effect of this legislation
is that no action can be taken unless there is an emission of black
smoke for more than two minutes in any period of 30 minutes. In
the case of omission of other than black smoke, nuisance has to be
proved before action can be taken. This has obvious difficulties and
virtually confines the Local Authority to dealing with black smoke.
The Beaver Report recommends that the emission of dark smoke
from any chimney should be prohibited by law. If this recommendation
is embodied in legislation a substantial reduction in industrial
smoke will be made possible.
There are 57 industrial fuel burning appliances in factories in
Barking which consume approximately 34,000 tons of coal annually.
In addition approximately 1,400,000 tons of coal are consumed annually
at the Electricity Generating Station and nearly 1,800,000 tons at
Beckton Gas Works.
As the new section of the Generating Station is brought more
into use there should be an improvement in the amount of grit emitted
because the older plant will then be used less. The boilers in the new
section are fitted with electro-static precipitators which are expected
to extract 99% of the dust from the flue gases.
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