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as far as practicable, having regard to the nature of the manufacture or
trade, all smoke arising therefrom,, and that the fireplace or furnace has
been carefully attended to by the person having charge thereof and
(b) he has used the best practicable means for preventing the nuisance,
having regard to the cost and to local conditions and circumstances,
The meaning given to the following expressions should be noted
(a) "best practicable means" refers not only to efficiency of the plant
but also to the manner in which it is handled,
(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.
SECTION 154 (Application to Crown) enacts If it appears to a sanitary
authority that a smoke nuisance exists on any premises within their district
occupied for the public service of the Crown, they shall report the circumstances
to the appropriate government department, and if the Minister
responsible for that department is satisfied after due inquiry that such a
nuisance exists, he shall cause such steps to be taken as may be necessary to
abate the nuisance and to prevent a recurrence thereof
BY-LAWS REGULATING THE EMISSION OF 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, eg the smelting of ores and minerals and the
manufacture of glass, are carried on are exempted from the provisions of the
By-laws.
Since the resignation of the Factories Sanitary Inspector on the 30th
September the District Sanitary Inspectors have been responsible for all
aspects of smoke abatement including emissions from factories on their respec
tive districts; an employee continues to give part-time assistance as
observer.
Apart from the complaints relating to a large hospital in the Borough, 28
complaints of smoke nuisance were received a total of 1.837 smoke observations
were made, and in 19 instances nuisances were found to exist. Informal notices
were served in 14 instances and in three cases these were followed by the
service of statutory notices, No legal proceedings were taken
The boiler-house chimney of the hospital referred to above has been a
source of complaint over the past few years The complaints received have
related not so much to smoke as to the emission of grit. Tenants of houses in
the vicinity of the hospital complained that the grit penetrated into all their
rooms and settled on yard surfaces and that they were unable to hang washing
out of doors. The nuisance has increased considerably since the installation
of automatic stoking equipment in 1954, which installation incorporated forced
draught equipment. Another factor was the necessity for the employment of
unskilled labour because of the shortage of skilled stokers
Observations in 1954 totalled 124 and smoke nuisances in varying degrees
were observed on no fewer than 80 occasions During the course of 134 thirty
minute observations made in 1955 the number of nuisances recorded was 190.
In reply to a communication from this Department in the autumn of 1954,
the Secretary stated that the Management Committee were concerned in the matter
of smoke emission from the hospital chimney stack he pointed out that the
trouble had only arisen since the installation of the automatic stoking equip
ment, and added that he was seeking the advice of the Hospital Board s architect,
the manufacturers of the equipment and the National Industrial Fuel Efficiency
Service,
Further correspondence ensued and in March 1955 a letter from the
Secretary stated that secondary air equipment had been fitted to one boiler and
had resulted in a considerable reduction of smoke emission. Delivery of the