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330
DISPOSAL OF HOUSE REFUSE.
There is no question which at this time is causing greater
trouble to many of the Sanitary Authorities of the Metropolis
than this. Some are acquiring land at Rainham, others beyond
Gravesend, and taking the material there to be used for filling
up land. Barges, steam-tugs and cranes are used for this
purpose, the cost of which is serious to contemplate. The
arrangements you made some years ago have enabled you to
successfully clear your District at a comparatively low cost, and
this amount should not be very largely increased, although that
of removing dust will doubtless increase as recent legislation
imposes greater obligations on those charged with this work.
The quantity of ashes and breeze sifted and put on rail was
6,990 tons, and 1,120 tons were loaded into barges and sold for
brick making purposes. 2,562 tons were loaded into barges and
sent to Shoot. 1,461 tons of rough dust were disposed of by
rail and 600 tons of clinkers were removed free of charge from
the Wharf.
The two furnaces for burning light refuse, which were constructed
three years ago, were found to be such a success that
you have erected two others 011 the same plan, the cost has
been £422 6s. id.
These furnaces are capable of burning 24 tons per day, and
reducing this quantity to 4 tons. At the present time you are
not burning more than 18 tons per day, thus keeping one
furnace to be cleared out of clinkers each day. I am in the
hope that by the adoption of mechanical bars this quantity will
be increased 50 per cent.
Hitherto there has not been any great difficulty of disposing
of the clinkers.