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49
In reply, the Borough Council were informed that the County Council had been
doing what they could to prevent any cause of complaint of unpleasant smells from
the River Thames so far as the effluent from the Council's main drainage outfalls
affected the condition, and that for some time the Council had been giving special
and costly treatment to the effluent to render it as satisfactory as possible. The
County Council further pointed out that there were other factors which contributed
to the state of the river, notably the drought which had adversely affected the
position and which had had a prejudicial effect on the condition of the river owing
to the considerable reduction of flow.
Whether this is a sufficient explanation or not, it is quite certain that the Thames
would not be so offensive at Woolwich were it not for the fact that the County Council
pour 270 million gallons of sewage, most of it inadequately treated, into the river
each day, four times as much as reaches the Thames from other authorities above
London. Four years from now the County Council will be able to say that they are
treating 20 per cent. of London sewage by new plant, which is now being installed,
but it is regrettable that the largest public health authority in the country is at the
present time discharging its sewage into the river in such a state that during hot
weather it produces a serious nuisance to those who live or work in this part of the
Metropolis.
Removal and Disposal of Refuse.—House refuse is collected and disposed
of by direct labour under the control of the Works Department of the Council.
Collection is made once weekly, with the exception of a small central area, where
a twice weekly collection is made. All refuse is disposed of by burning at the Council's
destructor at White Hart Road, Plumstead.
In 1934, the Council decided to improve the efficiency of the method of
disposal of refuse at the Destructor by providing a new hopper and refuse handling
plant, together with the necessary conveyors, The alterations, including the
erection of a new chimney shaft, were completed during the year at a cost of £18,031.
In October, the Council decided to adopt a scheme for the salvage of waste paper
and to install the necessary apparatus.
Offensive trade refuse is removed by contractors, who make their own
arrangements with the shopkeepers as to the time and day of removal. The
contractors provide air-tight receptacles of a type approved by your Medical Officer
of Health, the number of these supplied varying according to the individual
requirements of the shop-keepers. The contractors during the year decided to raise
the weekly charge for the removal of these tins, and fixed the minimum charge
at 1/- per week instead of the old flat rate of 6d. per tin.
Inoffensive trade refuse is removed by the Works Department at a charge of
five shillings per load, and 2,211 tons of such refuse were removed.