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is merely road watering, which, from the necessity
of circumstances, must be more intermittent in
action. Road dust is a great deal more than a
nuisance, it is a very serious matter now-a-days,
it prejudicially affects health to a greater degree than
the ordinary man suspects, it damages tradesmen's
goods, and it deteriorates clothing, especially
women's, to an extent that would be difficult to
exaggerate. The clouds of dust that are raised by
motor cars, and especially by tram cars, constitute
a nuisance so injurious to health and well-being, to
say nothing of comfort, that the controlling
authorities are amply justified, in the public interest,
in availing themselves of the experiences of other
districts, and in sparing 110 reasonable expense in
doing all they can to allay it.
It is interesting' to learn from a lecture recently
given by the Birmingham City Engineer, Mr. H.
C. Stilgoe, that the cost of tar spraying, which
amounts to ^d. per square yard, is, he finds, more
than recuperated by the greater life of the roads so
treated, and the diminished cartage of mud. Two
coats of tar give at least six months wear.
Sanitary Work.—At the end of the year
the number of inhabited houses in the district
were :—
Surbiton 2,253
Tolworth 928
Southboro 283
Hook 125
3,589
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