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the congregation of large numbers of feral pigeons in the
Oakleigh Road North area and investigations indicated that some,
at least, of these birds were nesting in the spire of a nearby
church. The church authorities co-operated and engaged a
specialist firm to deal with the pigeons in the spire and this
action coupled with a request to all residents in the area not
to feed the birds resulted in a considerable lessening, if not
the complete elimination, of the nuisance.
A number of requests for advice and aid to deal
with a variety of insect pests were dealt with, the most numerous
being in respect of wasps nests, of which sixty-three were
destroyed.
CLEAN AIR.
Two further areas came under smoke control during
196'+. Smoke Control Order No. 5 was confirmed by the Minister
of Housing and Local Government in February and came into
operation on the 1st. October; Order No. 6 was confirmed in
April and took effect on the 1st. November.
Originally the national clean air programme had
been based on the abundant supply of gas coke as a suitable smokeless
fuel to replace household coal but during 1963 it became clear
that because of technological changes in the gas industry the
future production of such coke would not keep pace with the
increasing demand. The position varied in different parts of
the country and it became necessary for each local authority to
consult with manufacturers and suppliers of the smokeless fuels
as to the availability of supplies in their own area. To make
sure the supplies of easily burned solid smokeless fuels continued
to be available to those householders who had already fitted improved type
open inset grates the Minister proposed to encourage the use of a
wider range of fuels and the grant in respect of adaptations was made
available for the installation of such appliances as closed or openable
stoves, underfloor draught grates, gas fires and electric storage
heaters. A schedule of prices for these various appliances was
agreed by the Council in March and grants based on these revised
allowances were made in respect of all adaptations in No. 6 area
and for the greater number in No. 5 area.
The number of applications for grant increased
considerably during the year. In the case of Smoke Control Area
No. 5, 4l per cent of the occupiers of premises shewn by survey to
require some form of fireplace adaptation actually claimed the grant,
in Area No. 6 this number increased to 57 per cent. These figures
should be compared with an average of 30 per cent in those areas
dealt with in previous years
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