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55
cleanly habits, others of whom are definitely degenerating. The
condition of some of these places in the wet weather is hopeless
from the point of view of cleanliness. The surface of the ground
becomes a quagmire, the children's boots get filthy, and the dirt is
trodden into the caravans.
Not only are these people a nuisance from the point of view of
their habits, rowdiness and such-like, but their method of earning
a living is mainly accompanied by noise. There should be some
protection for the general public from the deafening din produced
by merry-go-rounds and all the noisy accompaniments of fairs. It
is the introduction of the steam organ, whose brazen reiteration of
popular tunes can be heard for very long distances, which creates
the chief difficulty.
The city of New York has taken the lead in appointing a
Commission to deal with noise. The time has surely come when
something should be done in this country to deal with noise.
From the point of view of the individual, the necessity of
working under noise increases the daily nervous wear and tear.
The noise of motor traffic, and now the incessant noise of aeroplanes
in the neighbourhood of aerodromes, particularly at week-ends, is
producing a new worry in the daily life of certain classes of people.
I have received various complaints with regard to the noise from
aeroplanes, particularly from women, who, being at home all day,
get more of it than the men.
I see no reason, if we insist on the silencing of motor vehicles
and the progressive use of pneumatic tyres to decrease noise, why we
should not equally insist—and more emphatically to my mind—on
the silencing of aeroplanes flying round residential areas, for this
reason : that whereas the noisee of a motor lorry is a matter which
lasts but a few seconds, the noise of an aeroplane is heard persistently
for long distances, and where several machines are circling
round an aerodrome, the area is never free from noise. And noise,