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One house was represented to the Council as being unlit
for human habitation and a Demolition Order was made by the
Council in accordance with Section 11 of the Housing Act, 1936.
Two houses in respect of which Demolition Orders were made
during the previous year were demolished in 1950.
In one case legal proceedings were instituted against the
owner for failure to comply with a Nuisance Abatement Notice
served under Section 93 of the Public Health Act, 1936, in connection
with essential repairs to a house and the Magistrates
made the necessary Nuisance Order. As the Nuisance Order was
not complied with by the owner the Council carried out the
necessary work in default and charged the owner with the costs.
One owner appealed to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction
against a Notice served by the Council to provide a dustbin,
in accordance with Section 75 of the Public Health Act, 1936,
but the Magistrates dismissed the appeal, The owner then
appealed against the Magistrates' decision, to the Appeals Committee
of the Middlesex Quarter Sessions, who dismissed his
appeal and awarded the Council £5 5s. Od. costs.
7. SMOKE ABATEMENT. Although this subject can in some
ways be linked up with the one which follows, the average person
is prone to forget or does not realise the large contribution made
to atmospheric pollution by the discharges from domestic chimneys.
It is estimated that in 1948, for example, nearly one-half
of the smoke produced in the country as a whole, came from
domestic sources. When more plentiful supplies of electricity,
gas and smokeless fuels become available there is no doubt that
very substantial reductions in atmospheric pollution will accrue,
not only in the domestic sphere but in industry as well. Even
now, in Wembley, the use of electricity is almost universal in
industry as a means of motive power, and practically all coalfired
boilers are used for heating only. One of the difficulties
since the war has been the variation in the grade and quality of
solid fuels. Automatic sprinkler stokers are particularly prone
to operating difficulties, when the grade of fuel varies from time
to time. Another difficulty of more recent origin has been the
emission of grit from a boiler in which it has been the practice
to use coke. As long as this boiler used a graded coke no
trouble of any kind was experienced but owing to the fuel situation
coke breeze containing a large amount of "fines" was
supplied, which gave rise to grit emission. The matter was
taken up with the Ministry of Fuel and is still being pursued at
the present time. Similar trouble has been experienced from a
new boiler installed in an adjoining district.
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