[Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Castleford Borough.

  • Castleford (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1961
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1961] / Medical Officer of Health, Castleford Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    85/102 page 31
    Domestic 1961 has been a year of contemplation than of action. Your Council having fully appreciated the gravity of the problem of concessionary coal, h&s never felt free to consider the making of smoke control areas. It has been known for some time that negotiations were in progress between the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mine Workers on the question of supplies,to those who were affected by the making of smoke control orders, and towards the year end hopes were roused that a solution was iminent. The clarification of this position will, of course, provide the opportunity for considering smoke control areas. I realise, however, that there are many who still need to be convinced of the need for this, that there are many more who even if accepting the argument are unwilling to sacrifice their coal fire, but the fact remains that domestic chinnepa must now be responsible for somewhere between 60 and 75% of our smoke pollution. During the year I made some very interesting spot checks on domestic diimnies using the micro-Ringleman chart and found the results rather surprising. In many parts of the town during the Autumn, Yf inter and Spring months, it was easily possible to find house chimneys emitting smoke of a density of Ringleman 2 or even 3> and in an area devoted to dwellings used by Coc.l Board employees, dark smoke emissions occurred at a large proportion of the houses, the effects in the area being visible to the naked eye. Here clearly is the case for smoko control areas. Administration and Propaganda During the year interest was maintained in research and propoganda. Of the four soot gauges, two were re-sited to study the particular problems of two areas, in one instance with graat success and in the other to a lesser degree. It is interesting to once again make comparisons with former years. Your Council continued its membership with the Vest Riding Clean Air Advisory Council where once again your official had the honour to be Chairman, and the National Society for Clean Air where your officio,! served as Deputy Chairman of the Yorkshire Divisional Council and as one of its representatives on the Notional Executive. Sootfall - tons per square mile Month Cinder Lane Ings Lane i Redhill | Carlton Street | January 26.01 16.77 26.04 27.96 j February 12.51 14.17 13.79 10.14 | March 11.97 14.63 6.11 10.85 j April IS. 34 17.86 20.53 13.88 | May 10.74 8.12 3.09 11.12 ; June 18.47 16.01 11.61 25.37 j July 15.84 24.04 11.54 12.06 j August 27.28 36.85 8.62 12.19 | September 18.01 42.46 28.39 i 17.05 j October 37.09 13.31 30.91 12.87 I November 6.54 12.65 40.17 7.68 December 18.47 34.37 59.07 43.73 TOTAL 221.67 251.24 259.87 204.90
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