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In a metal spraying factory the remedial works have included
the building of a brick baffle wall between two buildings where
it was known that much noise emanated from the gap and the
placing of an extractor fan and motor used in connection with the
extraction system from a shot blasting process below ground level.
The installation of a new wood chipping machine in a building
lined with acoustic tiles which had eliminated a very serious
noise nuisance and which was referred to in last year's report,
brought in its train another noise problem. The conveyor to this
machine was in the open air and noise was occasioned by the
tipping of lorry loads of timber on to the ground near the foot
of the conveyor. It is proposed, ultimately, to enclose the conveyor
in a building, but as a temporary measure the Company have
maintained a high stack of bagasse (one of the raw materials
used in the factory) near the tipping point, which has materially
reduced the noise which is audible outside the factory premises.
Knowledge and investigation of many of these problems
demonstrates only too well the difficulties of arriving at a satisfactory
solution. Generally, the erection of new buildings presents
far less difficulties when attention to acoustical problems can be
given at the planning stage than in existing buildings.
11. SMOKE ABATEMENT. Ever since the days when
coal was discovered as a source of heat and power the atmosphere
in this country has been polluted to a serious degree with smoke
and other products of combustion. The importance of clean
air should be appreciated when it is realised that the daily
intake of air of the average human being is approximately 480
cubic feet or 35 lbs.—that is 6 or 7 times the intake of food
and drink. It is computed that 2,400,000 tons of smoke per
annum from coal sources are produced in the country as a whole,
and roughly half of this comes from domestic appliances. Some
progress, which has admittedly been slow, is, however, being made
with the problem. The truth of the matter is that there are not
sufficient supplies of electricity, gas and smokeless fuels to meet
all demands and there is not the freedom of choice of solid fuels
as existed before the war. In the industrial field in Wembley
electricity is almost universally used as a means of motive power
and there are comparatively few coal hand fired boilers used for
heating. The majority of the industrial undertakings use coke,
or oil, or in the case of coal fired boilers mechanical stokers are
installed. Generally speaking these methods of heating are more
efficient in practice than manual fired coal boilers but, nevertheless,
they can sometimes be a source of trouble. Reference was
made in last year's report to two cases of grit emission due to
coke breeze containing a large amount of "fines" being used. In
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