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The Riding Establishments Act, 1964.
Three applications for licences to keep riding establishments
were received during the year, all of which were granted.
The Council have appointed Messrs. H. S. Gates and G. W.
Serth, Members of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, of Purley,
Surrey, as their Advisory Veterinary Surgeons for the purposes of
this Act.
Diseases of Animals Act, 1950.
No outbreaks of disease occurred within the Borough during
1968. Movement licences authorising the transfer of pigs from
areas affected by Swine Fever Orders to the slaughterhouse at Mitcham
were received during the year.
Numerous copies of Orders made by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food were received in respect of the unprecedented
widespread epidemic of Foot and Mouth Disease which began
in 1967 and continued into 1968, the whole of England and Wales
having been declared a controlled area for the purpose of preventing
the spread of the disease.
No movement of animals was permitted except under licence
signed by me as the Inspector of the local authority into whose district
the animals were to be moved. Licences continued to be issued until
the end of February, 1968, permitting the movement in total of
14,934 pigs, 16 sheep and 38 cattle to the Mitcham Slaughterhouse
for slaughter.
Clean Air Act, 1956.
During 1968, 157 complaints were received with regard to smoke
or grit emission, and the necessary observations were made and
remedial action taken.
Twenty-two notices of proposals to install a furnace to which
Section 3 (1) of the Act applied were received, and the installations
were inspected and recorded.
In 25 instances plans which were deposited for Building Regulations
approval showed in each case the proposed construction of a
chimney. After examination of the plans, followed by discussions
with the applicants, opinions upon the height of the chimneys in
relation to Section 10 of the Act were sent to the Borough Surveyor.
Measurement of Atmospheric Pollution.
The Health Department now maintains eight eight-port instruments
which are sited in approved positions in the Borough. These
instruments, which record smoke density and sulphur dioxide content
in the atmosphere, are visited weekly. Recordings are standardised
and the results are sent monthly to the Ministry of Technology.
It is of value to the practical aspects of the control of air pollution
to be able to equate action taken with measurements which show
improvement. The average monthly results are depicted by means
of graphs which appear on following pages of this report.
It is pleasant to again note a fall during the winter months in
smoke concentrations in the atmosphere due undoubtedly, in some
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