558 



NATURE 



[December 29, 192 1 



to secure the conviction of offenders. The indict- 

 able offence consists in the emission of hlack smoke. 

 Two policemen acting on behalf of the prosecution 

 — that is, the sanitary authority — may swear that 

 in their opinion the smoke was black ; three civilians, 

 on behalf of the defence, will swear that in their 

 judgment it was grey. Again, if the offender can 

 satisfy the bench that he has employed the best 

 practicable means, consistently with carrying on his 

 industry, to abate it, he is exculpated. It is inevit- 

 able that there should be a conflict of testimony as 

 to what, in such circumstances, are " the best prac- 

 ticable means." It is equally inevitable also that 

 magistrates, local J.P.'s for the most part and swayed 

 by local influences, should be slow to convict. The 

 sanitary authority finds itself powerless, and further 

 action is estopped. The Committee is fully alive 

 to these difficulties and blames the central authority. 



" The chief factor," it says, "in the failure to 

 deal with the smoke evil has been the inaction of 

 the central authority. No Government has, for 

 many years, taken any action with the exception of 

 appointing committees, whose labours have led to 

 little or no result. Smoke and air pollution are, in 

 our opinion, a national question, and we consider 

 that it is useless to expect that it wdll be adequately 

 dealt with by local authorities unless they are 

 subject, when necessary, to the stimulus of Govern- 

 ment. It is for this reason that we recommend 

 that defaulting authorities should be compelled to 

 act by the Minister of Health." 



The prevalence of smoke pollution in this country 

 is mainly due to the indiscriminate and wasteful use 

 of raw coal for all purposes, whether industrial or 

 domestic. Such is the finding of the Committee. 

 This is already acknowledged by everyone who has 

 devoted any attention to the question of smoke 

 abatement. The problem of so treating coal as to 

 render its combustion practically smokeless is at 

 present the main effort of the Fuel Research Board 

 acting under the direction of the Department of 

 Scientific and Industrial Research. As an economic 

 question the problem admittedly has its complexities. 

 There is no difficulty in coking or semi-coking coal 

 so that it shall burn with a smokeless flame, at a 

 pice, depending upon the value of — that is, the 

 market for — the by-products of the coking. Hitherto 

 the efforts to introduce such smokeless fuel have not 

 been economically sound, or at least have failed in 

 view of present conditions. Whether the efforts of 

 the Fuel Research Board will solve the problem 

 remains to be seen. It cannot be doubted that the 

 Board's experimental investigations will afford valu- 

 able data towards its solution. Such investigations 

 require time, and it is not improbable that Govern- 

 NO. 2722, VOL. 108] 



ment may take advantage of that fact to delay any 

 further action with regard to legislation on smoke 

 abatement. There is, however, no real reason why the 

 Ministry of Health should decline to act at once on 

 the recommendations of Lord Newton's Committee. 

 The amending legislation required would be com- 

 paratively slight, and its passage through Parlia- 

 ment, in view of what the Committee recognises as 

 the strong body of educated opinion which is ex- 

 tremely dissatisfied with present conditions, should' 

 offer no insuperable difficulties. 



The recommendations are divided under twc 

 heads: (i) with regard to industrial smoke 

 (2) with regard to domestic smoke. As regards 

 industrial smoke, the obligation to use " the best 

 practicable means " to abate it must still devolve 

 upon the occupiers of any business premises, the 

 onus of proof that such means are the best prac- 

 ticable to rest upon the manufacturer. The duty of 

 enforcing the law should be transferred from the 

 local sanitary authorities to the county authorities 

 — i.e. to Councils of counties and county boroughs. 

 The Minister of Health should appoint competent 

 officers to advise and assist local authorities and 

 manufacturers with regard to difficult smoke prob- 

 lems, these officers to report annually on the steps 

 taken and the progress made in the suppression of 

 avoidable smoke. This recommendation is obviously 

 based upon the Committee's knowledge of the opera- 

 tion of the Alkali, etc.. Works Regulation Act/: 

 which has admittedly worked successfully and with 

 no great friction or hindrance to the industries con-j 

 cerned. Lastly, as regards industrial smoke th< 

 Committee recommends that the law should enable 

 much larger fines to be imposed than at present. 

 Experience has shown that " the fines at present] 

 inflicted are too trivial to be ah effective deterrent, 

 manufacturers in many instances preferring to pa| 

 the fine rather than take the necessary steps to abate 

 the nuisance." 



As regards domestic smoke the Committee recomJ 

 mends that the Central Housing Authority shoulc 

 at their discretion, decline to sanction any housinj 

 scheme unless specific provision is niade in the plai 

 for the adoption of smokeless methods of heatingl 

 and that local authorities should make by-laws re- 

 quiring the provision of smokeless heating arrange- 

 ments in new buildings, such as hotels, clubs, offices, 

 and the like. It further recommends that Government 

 should encourage the co-ordination and extension of 

 research into domestic heating generally, and that 

 every encouragement and facility should be given to 

 gas and electricity undertakings to increase and 

 cheapen the supply of gas and electricity, and that 



