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103
make a great contribution to the smoke problem ; but they felt
that, as the number of suitable appliances and the amount of
smokeless fuel increases, there is a good case for more widespread
declaration of smokeless zones.
The wealth of technical data and the recommendations set out
in the Report provide food for thought for Public Health
Committees and officials who are concerned with the evils of smoke
pollution and who are anxious to see some progress towards its
abatement. The recommended increase in the use of improved
domestic appliances is not likely to have any substantial effect on
atmospherical pollution unless smokeless fuels are used. The use
of unwashed nutty slack in slow burning grates, which produce
dense smoke over long periods, is hardly the answer to the smoke
problem.
When considering this question of smoke abatement it is well
to remember that it means more than the removal from the atmosphere
of visible smoke. Sulphur dioxide is not less important
because its presence is felt rather than seen. Grit emission from
large industrial furnaces, which show little (if any) smoke, poses a
problem extremely difficult of solution.
(iii) Smokeless Zones.
The following is an extract from a special report on the above
subject submitted by the Senior Sanitary Inspector to the Public
Health Committee at its meeting on 14th July, 1953.
" Smokeless Zones " are areas in which all smoke and other
material pollution are prohibited, and may be of any size from a few
acres upwards. Essential requirements are :
(i) Possession of necessary statutory powers.
(ii) The conversion of existing obsolete domestic open fires and
ranges to modern type suitable for smokeless fuel with gas
ignition.
(iii) Replacement of inefficient industrial furnace installations by
modern smoke-consuming appliances.
(iv) Adequate supplies of smokeless fuel for domestic users.
(v) Adequate supplies of suitable fuel for industrial furnaces.