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(b) "chimney" includes every structure or opening of any kind whatsoever
capable of emitting smoke; and
(c) "smoke" includes soot, ash, grit and gritty particles.
BY-LAWS REGULATING THE EMISSION OP SMOKE, MADE BY THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL
under the Public Health (Smoke Abatement) Act, 1926, and continued in force by
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, define "smoke nuisance" as the emission
of black smoke for a period of two minutes in the aggregate within any continuous
period of thirty minutes from any one chimney of a building other than
a private dwelling-house. Buildings in which certain specified industrial
processes, e.g. the smelting of ores and minerals and the manufacture of glass,
are carried on are exempted from the provisions of the By-laws.
The Factories Sanitary Inspector is the officer mainly responsible for
dealing with smoke nuisance and air pollution, and he has the part-time assistance
of an employee who acts as observer. The district sanitary inspectors
deal with the smaller industrial premises which they visit in connection with
their inspections under the Factories Act.
In January an invitation to send representatives to a short course on
"Smoke Prevention in Industrial Premises" was received from the Department of
Applied Chemistry of the Northampton Polytechnic, St. John Street, E.C.I. In
response to the Polytechnic's request for the Council's assistance in making
this course known to persons likely to be interested, a circular letter was
sent from the department to twenty of the larger industrial firms in the
Borough, and six of them sent members of their staff. The Council gave authority
for three members of the staff of the Public Health Department - the
Factories Sanitary Inspector, a district inspector, and the Deputy Superintendent
of the Disinfecting Station - to attend the Course.
Some 33 complaints of smoke nuisance were received, a total of 1,936 smoke
observations were made, and in 20 instances nuisances were found to exist.
Informal notices were served in 19 instances and in two cases these were
followed by the service of statutory notices. Legal proceedings were instituted
in one case, but owing to the illness of the inspector concerned the
summons was adjourned on the day of the hearing. On the adjourned date it was
found that the defendant had taken steps to abate the nuisance, and the summons
was adjourned sine die.
PUBLIC HEALTH (LONDON) ACT. 1936 - SECTION 147 (1) (Nuisances arising from
offensive trades). Seven complaints relating to effluvia from trade premises
were received, and four informal notices, one of which was followed by a formal
notice, were served. In no case was the institution of legal proceedings
necessary. The total number of investigations made in connection with offensive
trades was 84.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RECORDING
Recording of the nature and extent of atmospheric pollution was again
carried out at each of the three stations sited on the roofs of the Town Hall
and Buccleuch House and at ground level in Victoria Park. The first two
stations are provided and maintained by the Hackney Borough Council and the
other by the London County Council. The recording apparatus at each station
comprises a deposit gauge which measures the amount of grit, soot and other
solid particles which settles from the atmosphere and a lead peroxide instrument
which registers the amount of sulphur dioxide. The British Standards
Deposit Gauge collects the liquid (usually entirely rainwater) and solids falling
in an accurately measured area of little less than one square foot. A
monthly analysis of the contents of the gauge determines the amount of soluble
and insoluble deposit and the total solids deposited. The results are expressed
in terms of grammes of deposit per 100 square metres or in tons per square
mile. This method of measurement, although subject to a number of limitations,