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14
It might be well to point our that far fewer towns are without a smoke
problem than the wishful thinking of some of the inhabitants would
suggest.
Apart altogether from the question of drift from other areas smoke
arises both from industry and from the domestic chimney. This
latter inclusion makes it clear that although industry (and one would
include hospitals and the much maligned railway engine) is a significant
factor, in towns— such as Hornchurch— where there is a very limited
amount of industry, the air is still grossly polluted by domestic chimneys
which have been indicted as responsible for some half the smoke produced.
One has in the past been left in no doubt as to local reaction in
connection with, for example, St. George's Hospital chimney and the
behaviour of the railway engines at Upminster but it would take an
unprecedented amount of activity on the part of both these sources to
produce even a small portion of the pollution which is occurring daily
from the chimneys of our houses and which any morning and evening in
Winter demonstrates as being a major factor in air pollution.
Admittedly the position of the ordinary house as a smoke producer
is contingent on a variety of factors such as whether it has an appliance
which will burn smokeless fuel or utilise gas and electricity to the
exclusion of smoke; whether the smokeless fuel is in fact available with
sufficient facility to permit the householder readily to use it; whether if
a suitable appliance is provided the householder is sufficiently informed
on how to operate it efficiently and last but not least whether the householder
has any desire to have any fire other than the open bituminous coal
burning smoke producer. It is our responsibility to see that every
assistance is given to the householder in what initially can be quite a
tricky position. It should be emphasised that at all events for the
present any exclusive reliance upon the proprietary types of smokeless
fuel is almost bound to end in the householder being fuelless and coke
must—of the solid fuels— be regarded as the keystone of the smokeless
air plan. In this connection continual efforts are being made by this
Council to ensure that small supplies are readily available at short notice
to every householder. To this end they will undoubtedly have the support
of the North Thames Gas Board and this body is also perfectly
willing to give advice to any householder in difficulty with the burning
of their coke. The production of the really satisfactory coke fire is to a
very large extent a matter of technique and numerous instances are in
fact known to us in which sceptics on the use of coke have been readily
converted after appropriate advice.
In modern houses the mere provision of a smokeless fuel burning
appliance clearly does not affect the atmosphere if the appropriate
smokeless fuel is not used for burning in it and an earnest plea is made
here for every householder to consider seriously the advantages both to
themselves and to others of having an individual smoke elimination plan.
It is needless to recapitulate in detail the various factors which
persuade one that smokeless air is the best policy but the embarrassment
caused to sufferers from bronchitis in terms of atmospheric pollution is—
quite apart from the cogent economic factors also present—enough
reason for giving clean air full support.