412 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
data are necessary in deciding whether the discharge of a particular effluent 
to any individual stream is likely to cause nuisance or to endanger public 
health. Many rivers which are to some extent polluted will, in the future, 
have to be utilised after treatment as sources of water supply for both 
domestic and industrial purposes. In such cases more accurate information 
on the effects on rivers of various discharges and more careful control of 
the discharges will be required. Secondly, as already mentioned, data 
on the flow of the river concerned are necessary if plant for the treatment 
of sewage and industrial effluents is to be designed and operated on the 
most economical lines. It is not possible to estimate the expenditure 
involved in the satisfactory treatment and disposal of industrial effluents, 
but it must be considerable in view of the very large number of industrial 
undertakings in this country producing effluents which have to be treated 
and discharged into rivers and streams. As regards sewerage and sewage 
disposal, loans sanctioned by the Ministry of Health for expenditure on 
such works during the three years 1929-30, 1930-31, and 1931-32, amounted 
to £5,800,000, £8,900,000, and £7,740,000 respectively. 
RIVERS POLLUTION PREVENTION AUTHORITIES. 
The principal statutory enactments relating to river pollution are con- 
tained in the Rivers Pollution Prevention Acts, 1876 and 1893, which are 
directed towards the abatement of pollution in the public interest generally, 
and in the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1923, which has in view 
the same object in the interests of fisheries. 
The duty of enforcing the Rivers Pollution Prevention Acts was originally 
entrusted to the sanitary authorities, i.e. town councils and urban and rural 
district councils. Under Section 14 of the Local Government Act, 1888, 
county councils were given concurrent powers throughout their adminis- 
trative counties. ‘The same section also gave power to the Local Govern- 
ment Board (now Ministry of Health) to set up, by Provisional Order, 
subject to confirmation by Parliament, joint committees or similar bodies 
for the purpose of administering the Rivers Pollution Prevention Acts. 
Under this section three such bodies have been set up : (1) the Ribble Joint 
Committee, (2) the Mersey and Irwell Joint Committee, and (3) the West 
Riding of Yorkshire Rivers Board. Fishery Boards also have power, 
under Section 55 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1923, to 
institute proceedings under the Rivers Pollution Prevention Acts. 
According to the general law at present, therefore, the power of en- 
forcing the Acts of 1876 and 1893 is vested in : 
(1) All town councils, and urban and rural district councils. 
(2) All county councils. 
(3) In respect of the Ribble, the Mersey and Irwell, and the rivers in 
the West Riding of Yorkshire, joint committees or rivers boards 
set up to deal with those particular rivers. 
(4) Fishery boards under Section 55 of the Salmon and Freshwater 
Fisheries Act, 1923. 
In addition there is a Joint Committee, without statutory powers to 
take legal proceedings, set up under Section 57 of the Local Government 
oe ee in respect of the upper waters of the Tame (a tributary of the 
Trent). 
The Upper Thames and the Lee are the subject of special legislation 
which has set up Conservancy Boards possessing wide powers of controlling 
pollution. Both these rivers supply the Metropolitan Water Board with 
