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9. MORTUARIES
On the 8th March, 1967, a report was made to the Health Committee that no
bodies had been received at the Richmond Mortuary since the 14th February, H.M.
Coroner having indicated on the 25 th February that he had arranged for bodies to be
received elsewhere. After full consideration it was decided that the Richmond
Mortuary should be closed for the time being and later in the year the building was
demolished and the site incorporated in an extended area for car parking. Up to the
time of closure 48 bodies were received.
The mortuary at Hampton has continued to function satisfactorily and the
number of bodies admitted during the year was 734.
10. NOISE ABATEMENT ACT, 1960
Noise has been defined as "unwanted sound" and increasingly members of the
community find cause to protest against the unwanted sound of aircraft, motor vehicles,
ice-cream vehicle chimes, and those un-neighbourly actions which assault the hearing.
The problem is a subjective one and so far as industrial noise is concerned the residents
of today often suffer the neglect of proper planning yesterday.
Sixty complaints alleging noise nuisance were received in the year and 362 visits
carried out by public health inspectors.
One complaint took the form of a petition signed by residents near a factory in
which hot plastic moulding machines had been installed. An ancillary cooling system
included a wooden-slatted tower on which a fan was fitted.
As the temperature rose during the summer weeks the fan cut in to increase the
speed of air through the tower to improve the cooling effect. This was an automatic
action controlled thermostatically. The result was that during hot weather when
residents had open windows and were enjoying the use of their gardens, the fan was
in most frequent use and gave rise to the complaints. Readings with a sound-level
meter indicated that there was a basis for complaint. The factory management were
co-operative and approached the manufacturers of the tower who suggested a remedy
comprising a new fan unit of modified fan blades and a fan silencer which included
baffles and sound insulation. This was expected to reduce the level by 18-20 decibels
measured at the source.
After the completion of these modifications, tests showed a marked reduction of
noise level and the rise when switching on the fan was recorded at 2 - 3 decibels above
the ambient level. The nuisance would seem to have been abated to the satisfaction
of the residents.
11. RAG FLOCK AND OTHER FILLING MATERIALS ACT, 1951
Four samples of filling materials utilised in two local factories for the filling of cot
mattresses and quilting were taken in the year. The materials included man-made
fibres such as terylene 'and natural fibres, e.g. wool and cotton or mixtures of these
materials.
Two of the samples were reported by the Prescribed Analyst to be satisfactory.
One of the remaining — a 60% wool mixture material — was reported to contain only
5 1 % animal fibre but, by reason of an amendment to the Regulations made under the
Act, this was considered not to be an offence as the Animal Fibre Content Test had
been removed from the requirements and utilised only as a means of classifying the
material. As there appeared some possibility that misrepresentation may have taken
place the matter was referred to the Public Control Department for consideration under
the Merchandise Marks Act.
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