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From September to the end of the year, 109 applications from tenants, who had
been served with notices of increase by their landlords, were reported to the appropriate
Committee. Each house was visited and inspected and of this total, 104 were issued,
2 were refused, and 3 were withdrawn. In the course of these visits, and in the office,
an appreciable amount of time was spent in advising tenants of their rights under the
Act.
AIR POLLUTION.
The publication of the Final Report of the Beaver Committee on Air Pollution in
November was received with great interest by all engaged in Public Health. The Report
is most revealing and the approach to the problem leaves nothing to be desired. The
analysis is convincing and reveals a detailed and balanced study of the many factors
involved and the recommendations appear to be sound and practicable.
The solution to the industrial problem is known, with the important exception of
how to deal with the sulphur oxides, and the urgent need now is to apply them vigorously.
To end pollution from the domestic chimney, however, is much more difficult and in this
direction, the increasing use of electricity, gas, efficient solid fuel appliances and
smokeless fuels all help. The Englishman, however, will not give up his open fire and
sufficient means of enabling him to run one without producing too much smoke are still
lacking.
The three main causes responsible for smoke being discharged into the atmosphere
are domestic fires, factories and railways and most of the smoke produced by railways is
from shunting operations and the use of stationary loco. boilers used for steam raising
purposes. West Ham, being a working class and industrialised borough, is well endowed
with factories, railway marshalling yards and sub-standard houses equipped with obsolete
firegrates.
The largest single source of smoke and 45% of the total is the domestic chimney
and this despite the fact that only l8% of the annual coal consumption is for domestic
use. General industry comes next in the amount of smoke, followed by railways, which are
responsible for about half as much smoke as industry, although they burn only a quarter the
weight of coal. Pollution is greater during the winter months than during the summer which
shows the influence of domestic smoke.
Domestic smoke is emitted at low level and for that reason is probably more harmful
than industrial smoke, which from tall chimneys has at least some opportunity of being
blown away from populous areas. Unfortunately, there is little hope of so modifying the
open coal fire so that it can burn smokelessly. By the time smokelessness is attained
it would cease to be an open fire.
In the case of industrial smoke the Committee were of the opinion that no Industrial
chimney need normally emit more than a light haze of smoke if the combustion arrangements
were adequate and properly operated. There were exceptions to this during the occasional
short periods while fires were being lit or raked, or in the case of mechanical breakdown.
Repair and maintenance, constant supervision and encouragement of the fireman to do his
best are highly important for the prevention of smoke, no less than the efficient use of
fuel. Extensive modernisation and improvement of plant is necessary in many cases and this
will take some years to accomplish. It is recommended that out-of-date plants be fitted
with mechanical stokers or smoke-elimination doors of approved type.
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