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is satisfied that such fireplaces can be used for burning fuel other than
authorised fuels without producing any smoke or a substantial quantity
of smoke.
Smoke Nuisances. 27 complaints were received about smoke
nuisances from industrial premises. Most of these related to smuts from
oil fired boilers. These problems are not easily resolved, and are receiving
attention from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research,
The Management of the factories concerned were in all cases anxious to
find a solution to this problem and co-operated wholeheartedly with the
Department in the enquiries that are being made.
Smoke Control Area. The Public Health Committee, at their
meeting on the 17th February, considered a report on the factors to be
taken into account in selecting an area to be designated as a smoke control
area and the procedure to be followed. Consideration of the sites was
referred to a meeting of an ad hoc sub-committee appointed to consider
the question in all its aspects (including that of publicity) of designating
part of the Borough as a smoke control area. The Committee at the
same meeting considered Ministry of Housing and Local Government
Circular 5/59 which asked Councils in "black areas", which include the
Borough, to consider their domestic smoke problem as a whole and to
decide on the smoke control orders that will be needed, in what order of
priority they should be made and how many years it is likely to take to
complete the task; on this information they should prepare a phased
programme for establishing smoke control areas over the next five years.
At their meeting on the 31st March the Public Health Committee
declared the following section of the Borough a smoke control area—
(1) 45 acres to the south of the London, Midland and West Railway line
which includes some 400 dwellings, about half of which were Council
properties and (2) a rectangular area of 180 acres bounded on the north
by Eastcote Lane, by Alexandra Avenue on the east and by the boundaries
with Ruislip-Northwood Urban District and the Borough of Ealing
on the west and south respectively with some 1,900 premises. The area
proposed, then, is 225 acres on which are some 2,300 premises. This is the
first step towards the Council's ultimate objective of making the whole
of the Borough smoke controlled by means of orders made from time to
time in respect of different areas. The necessary particulars were forwarded
to the Minister of Housing and Local Government who, after examining
the information submitted by the Council with regard to their proposals
for declaring an area in South Harrow as a smoke control area, in consultation
with the Minister of Power, gave provisional approval to the
proposal. Accordingly, a detailed survey of the area was started and was
well under way by the end of the year. The date suggested for the coming
into operation of the order is September, 1961.
Expenses of Conversion. Section 12 of the Clean Air Act reads—
If the owner or occupier of a private building which is in or will be in a
smoke control area has to incur expenditure in adapting his heating
arrangements, the local authority shall repay to him at least seven-tent s