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make a reasonable charge for the service. On the assumption that
one bin per shop could reasonably be considered to represent the
proportion of house refuse collected from the shop, the arrangements
for the collection of refuse from shops were modified to provide the
free collection of only one bin per week instead of two as formerly.
In the draft Bill the wording of the paragraph relating to the
charges for collection of trade refuse was " if the authority determine
to recover the cost or some part of the cost incurred by them in
removing trade refuse they may make reasonable charges for removing
such refuse." This was altered in the passage of the Bill to
" the local authority shall make reasonable charges for removing
trade refuse." From the point of view of those concerned with the
avoidance of nuisances in the district this alteration is unfortunate.
If shop refuse is not removed—and many shop-keepers object
strongly to any additional charges for removal—the refuse either
collects, in which case rats are encouraged and, during the warmer
months, flies and smells emanate, or it is burned, to the annoyance
of neighbouring residents.
While the question of what can legitimately be construed as
" house refuse " as contrasted with "trade refuse" has been
disputed and while it is reasonable to exclude garden refuse, it does
seem that it is inadvisable to attempt unduly to restrict the
conception of " house refuse." Householders have more to dispose
of than ashes and empty tins, and do not take kindly to any
suggestion of additional charges for the removal of waste goods
not within this category. The report of the Departmental Committee
on London Cleansing rightly drew attention to the necessity
of detailed consideration being given to the costs of the cleansing
services, but it is suggested that the prime consideration should
always be the provision of the service to the householders.
Refuse Disposal.
In the early part of the year consideration was given to the
question of the future disposal of the refuse of the district, and at
their meeting on February 2nd the Council approved " the policy
of incineration as the method of disposal of the whole of the
household and trade refuse of this district." In September, however,
attention was drawn to a new method of disposal of refuse by the
" hyganic process " whereby the refuse is so treated as to break
down a large proportion of it into a form suitable for use as a fertiliser,
the processes to which the refuse is subjected being degradation,
fermentation, oxidation and dehydration. The refuse is discharged
from the collection vehicles direct into a 70-ton hopper, from which
it is elevated by a grab into a similar hopper feeding the picking
belts where rags, bottles, etc. are removed by hand-picking and
tins, etc. by a magnetic drum. The refuse then passes into a
rotary screen allowing the removal of ash. All this section of the