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Council. At such public meetings Members of the Council,, including
the Chairmen of the General Purposes, Health and Housing Committees,
and representatives on the Borough Council of the area concerned are
present, along with the Council's Chief Officers. Two such public
meetings have already been held and have been very well attended and
worthwhile. The Council is convinced that such meetings play a
valuable part in giving an opportunity of correcting any erroneous
impressions, and in enlisting the co-operation of those affected®
After the receipt of the Minister's confirmation of an Order, all
occupiers and owners of property in the area are informed in writing
of the general result of the Order., Posterr and press publicity are
also used for this purpose.
Clean Air Act - Operation of remaining provisions
All the remaining provisions of the Clean Air Act, 1956 not
already in force became operative on the 1st June, 1958. From that
date the emission of "dark smoke" from a chimney of any building
anywhere became illegal unless contained in such limits or class of
case as specified by the Minister by Regulations. The prohibition
applies equally to houses, factories, shops, offices, railway engines,
funnels of ships, and Crown premises. Regulations have been made
allowing certain latitude for such practices as soot blowing, and
for a chimney serving two or more furnaces. There are temporary
exemptions from strict compliance with section I for existing furnaces
and equipment at industrial premises where the local authority is
satisfied that it has not been practicable to make the alterations
necessary to prevent the emission of dark smoke. All adaptations
must, however, be completed by July 1963, i.e. not more than seven
years from the passing of the Act. In Woolwich, no such temporary
exemptions have been applied for or granted by the Couacil.
A survey of industrial premises was carried out in the Borough
during the months preceding the 1st June, 1958, and showed that there
were 102 factories with furnaces, there being altogether 205 furnaces
in the Borough. Twenty-One of the furnaces are concerned with
special processes, such as the production of road materials, metal
casting and reclamation and refining of non-ferrous metals. The
remaining 184 furnaces are in steam raising plant and of these, 107
are large installations. Twenty-two of the factories in the Borough
have given rise in the past to some smoke or grit nuisance. A number
of installations have been recently converted to oil-firing, which,
with proper operation, should not give rise to further nuisance.
During the carrying out of this surrey all the large factories in
the Borough were visited, and the new requirements of the Clean Air
Act discussed with the report in relation to. their individual problems.
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