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48
smoke nuisance and air pollution. The Council's duties relating to various
aspects of the Factories Act have now been distributed amongst the district
sanitary inspectors, leaving Mr. Dawson the duty of in the main dealing only
with the larger factories. He will, therefore, be able to devote more time
to this important matter of air pollution and he will continue to have the
assistance of the man employed as an observer.
The district sanitary inspectors will deal with the small industrial
premises which they visit in connection with their inspections under the
Factories Act.
2. (a) Sanitary inspectors to be permitted and encouraged to attend
short courses of instruction on smoke prevention, e.g. courses of the type
recently arranged by the Northampton Polytechnic, E.C.I, already reported to
the Conmittee,
(b) The greatest publicity to be given to the importance of stokers and
firemen undergoing courses of instruction appropriate to their work, and
owners of industrial premises to be notified of such courses and encouraged to
send their employees.
(c) The use of fully qualified consultants. An arrangement to be made
whereby the services of fully qualified consultant engineers are available
when required in difficult circumstances. It is suggested that the consultants'
fees should on occasion when necessary be paid by the Council.
(d) The officers of the local authority to continue to make and maintain
contact with officers of the British Electricity Authority, the officers of
the Hospital Management Committees, and officers of the Railway Executive,
with a view to minimising nuisances arising from their respective premises.
DOMESTIC SMOKE, 1. District sanitary inspectors in their ordinary day
to day work have access to many homes; they will be given every encouragement
to bring to the notice of householders the need for every citizen to accept
his/her share of responsibility in the campaign to minimise or even eradicate
this national evil. They can advise in regard to the installation of suitable
grates and means of ignition, and the use of appropriate fuels.
No doubt estate superintendents, welfare officers and other members of
the staff of the Housing Department, in their daily contacts with tenants of
Council estates, can give considerable help in this connection in those cases
where modern grates have been installed.
2. Private landlords to be encouraged to install improved grates, particularly
when replacement of a defective and worn out grate becomes necessary.
3. It is understood that on new housing estates it is already obligatory
upon local authorities to install only such open grates as have been approved
by the Coal Utilisation Board and are capable of burning coke and other smokeless
fuels as well as bituminous coal, Every effort should be made to ensure
that suitable means of ignition and sufficient fuel storage are provided on
such estates. It is suggested that the Council might go a step further and
install such grates on the older estates as and when circumstances permit. In
this connection it is felt that the local authority should set an example to
private enterprise.
4. In planning new housing estates the possibility of the local authority
providing their own smokeless zones should be given the closest possible
consideration.
It appears that district heating schemes, admirable as they may be, offer
no practicable contribution because of the prohibitive cost of installation
and the uneconomical cost of operation, Central heating and hot water
installations similarly appear to be impracticable except in the case of large
blocks of flats.
HEALTH EDUCATION I can think of no more appropriate subject being
included in the Council" s health education campaign than that of atmospheric