At last we have good hopes that a British Government
is going to take the smoke nuisance seriously. Lord Newton, the President of the Coal Smoke Abatement Society, wrote recently to Mr. Neville Chamberlain, the Minister of Health, asking whether the Government intended to reintroduce the Public health (Smoke Abatement) Bill. This Bill, as amended by the House of Lords, was the most promising thing in the way of proposed legislation for a clean sky ever produced in Parliament. It had the support of the Federation or British Industries and the Coal Smoke Abatement Society. Lord Newton therefore was probably right in thinking that the best course was to reintroduce a Bill for which the omens were so favourable. Mr. Neville Chamberlain, in answer to his letter, said : " I am happy to be able to give you an assurance that the Government do contemplate introducing a Smoke Abate- ment Bill as soon as possible." Mr. Chamberlain went on to explain that there was a large number of urgent measures which would probably occupy the whole of the coming session, and that time would probably be gained, not lost, in the end if the friends of a Smoke Abatement Bill would wait till 1926, when he would hope to secure for it " an earlier place in the Government's programme.".
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