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byelaws. These establishments are subject to the provisions of the Shops
Acts which ensure that there shall be a sufficient number of sanitary
conveniences for the staff employed, and that the premises shall be
properly heated and ventilated. The same Act regulates the early closing
days, the assistants' half-holidays and the arrangements for the health
and comfort of the assistants. There are in the district 125 such establishments.
They are visited periodically to see that the requirements of the
byelaws are being complied with; at most establishments a very high
standard of cleanliness is maintained.
CONTROL OF NUISANCES
The Public Health Inspectors keep under supervision various
buildings, watercourses and parcels of land so as to be in a position to
take action to prevent unsatisfactory conditions arising.
Atmospheric Pollution
Legislation. The Clean Air Act, 1956 (Appointed Day) Order,
1958 fixed 1st June, 1958 is the date of coming into operation of all those
provisions of the Clean Air Act which were not already in operation. It
then became the duty of every furnace owner to minimise the emission of
grit and dust. To this end some will need to instal grit-extracting
appliances. Any smoke other than that from dwellings which is a nuisance
to the neighbourhood is deemed to be a statutory nuisance under the
Public Health Act; and the emission of dark smoke by anyone anywhere
is illegal. Dark smoke is defined as smoke as dark as, or darker than,
shade 2 on the Ringelmann chart. The shade card is graduated from 0
(no smoke) which is white, to 1 (light grey), 2 (dark grey), 3 (very dark
grey), 4 (black) and 5 (dense black). Dark smoke though is unlikely
to be produced in a domestic chimney, the chief offenders being industrial
plants, locomotive sheds and at times, large institutions like hospitals.
These industrial offenders may plead such reasons as inability to get
suitable fuel; and there are certain exemptions until 1963 before the full
provisions of these sections become operative, these being in establishments
where the emission is due to the nature of the building or its equipment
and not to any maintenance failure, or when it has not been practicable to
alter or equip the building so as to enable it to be used without a likehhood
of emitting dark smoke.
Certain defences are permitted under the Act in the event of proceedings
being taken. They include the submission that the contravention
was solely due to the lighting up of a furnace which was cold and tha all
practicable steps had been taken to prevent or minimise the emission of
dark smoke ; that it was solely due to some failure of apparatus which
could not have been foreseen, or, if foreseen, could not reasonably have
been provided against; that the contravention was solely due to the
use of unsuitable fuel, that suitable fuel was unobtainable, the least
unsuitable fuel available was used, and all practicable steps were takan
to prevent or minimise the emission ; that the contravention was due to
a combination of two or more of these causes.