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CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956.
The Council gave long and earnest consideration to the
provisions of this Act and its complementary orders and
regulations, particularly the procedure for making smoke
control orders.
The Borough is said to "be partly in a so-called
""black area11, "but of course it hears no comparison to the
type of district which might he expected to he referred to
as ""black" and such an occurrence as a "smoke pall" is unknown.
It was therefore felt that the need of such orders in this
district was not urgent and that it would he wise to let those
districts which had a real smoke problem and where much could
he achieved make the first moves and have the benefit of such
supplies of smokeless fuels as were available.
The supply of smokeless fuels in the Borough during the
winter of 1958 -59 was quite inadequate for normal requirements,
though it was interesting to find that so many householders
had found the desirability of using such fuels. It was in fact
the case that many who were anxious to burn those fuels were
unable to obtain them in sufficient quantities.
The first part of the next winter (up to the end of
December 1959) was exceptionally mild and there appeared to
be no difficulties over fuels of any kind - indeed the demand
was so much below normal that the situation could not be
fairly assessed. It would probably bo right to say that
better supplies of smokeless fuels were available particularly
in view of the fact that several new kinds had come on the
market. Whether these supplies would have proved adequate
had severe weather occurred is doubtful.
The following resolutions of the Public Health Committee
were confirmed by the Council:-
(i) That this Committee are entirely in sympathy
with the object of the Clean Air Act, 1956,
to abate the pollution of the air; that in
present circumstances, particularly the
shortage of smokeless fuels, they do not
consider that they are justified in
recommending formal action to create smoke
control areas within the Borough, but that
the matter be kept under review, and the
burgesses encouraged voluntarily to adopt
the use of smokeless fuels and adapt their
existing fireplaces where necessary;
(ii) That the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government be informed of the decision
in (i) above, and asked what action it is
proposed to take to improve the present
unsatisfactory supplies of smokeless fuel;
(iii) That this Committee strongly deprecate the
action of the Coal Utilisation Council in
so far as public advertisements and
literature issued by them encouraged the
use of coal in domestic fires, and that
a protest be lodged with the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government accordingly;
46.