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13
Public Cleansing Service in the County of London.
At their meeting in May, 1929, the Council received the following
report from the Borough Engineer and Surveyor in regard to the
Report of an Investigation by J. C. Dawes, Esq., O.B.E., M.I.Mech.E,,
Inspector of Public Cleansing, etc., Ministry of Health, upon the
Public Cleansing Service in the Administrative County of London:—
Gentlemen,—I have carefully perused the above Report, which is published by
His Majesty's Stationery Office at 15s. net.
The Report, which covers 123 pages, deals exhaustively with the conditions at
present operating throughout the Metropolitan Area, and had its inception from
the fact that in 1925 a deputation from the London County Council urged upon
the Minister of Health "the need for investigation by his Ministry of the question
of the disposal of house and other refuse." The Minister directed Mr. Dawes to
investigate and report.
A foreword to the Report states that Mr. Dawes alone is responsible for the
Report and for the opinions expressed in it, and emphasises that individual
householders could substantially reduce the expenditure on the service if they
would destroy on their own premises, instead of putting into the bin, refuse which
could readily be disposed of by them.
Mr. Dawes' conclusions are that existing conditions leave much to be desired.
Service to the householder on the whole is satisfactory; but dust and debris are
often scattered in the process of collection, and there is a general want of detailed
costing, which is an essential of economy.
He urges that although the matter of finding a good and economical alternative
may be difficult, there should be no delay in stopping the indiscriminate tipping
of refuse in dumps in any locality where it may injure local amenities.
His main points of criticism may be summarised as follows:—
Storage of Refuse at Dwelling houses and, other Premises.
Present conditions in a large percentage of cases are unsatisfactory. There is
urgent need for the adoption of a standard type of covered refuse receptacle of
suitable material and approved design.
Refuse Collection.
There is a complete want of uniformity in administration, organisation and
cost and a new and properly-costed refuse collection service, organised and
directed centrally, is desirable in all the interests of public health and sound
economy.
Refuse Disposal.
Very unsatisfactory. The present system of barging to dumps by contractors
is open to strong criticism. These firms have exhibited serious disregard for sanitary
principles at their dumps.
Street Cleansing.
Central London arrangements are considered exemplary, but some of the outer
Boroughs are criticised (not by name) for out-of-date methods and equipment.
Some action is desirable in the matter of thoughtless littering of streets.
New Legislation.
The following suggestions are made :—
(i) That trade refuse be defined in such a way that the cost of its collection
and disposal shall not fall on the general body of ratepayers.
(ii) That, subject to a right of appeal, a Council should be empowered to
prevent the dumping in its area of refuse from another district,
except that this power should not extend to refuse which has been
treated or prepared so as reasonably to remove risk of nuisance or
to the provision of refuse disposal works.
(iii) That children should not be allowed to live on boats in use for the
transport of crude house refuse.