TRANSPORT'S PART IN REFUSE DISPOSAL
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Informative Discussions and Interesting Demonstrations at the Birmingham Conference of the Institution of Cleansing Superintendents.
THE three-days' annual conference of the Institute of Cleansing Superintends of the United Kingdom (which was attended by 300 delegates), was opened on Tuesday last at the University of Birmingham.
Mr. J. Richard Heath, of Swansea (immediate past president) presided at the opening of the conference.
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham (Alderman P. Bower) accorded a hearty civic welcome to the delegates to
Birmingham : also to Mr. De Groot of the Hague, Holland, and Director Erdmann of Berlin. He spoke highly of the work of the Birmingham salvage and cleansing department, observing that its record was one of remarkable and con
tinued progress. In connection with the trading departments -of the Birmingham municipality they had raised, the Lord Mayor said, for capital purposes, something like 22 million pounds, and their revenue turnover was the
round sum of six millions per annum.
Amid applause Mr. Heath installed Mr. James Jackson, the salvage superintendent of the Birmingham Corporation, as the new president. Mr. Jackson had, he said, done excellent work in the cause of modern sanitation, and held the presidential chair 22 years ago.
Mr. Jackson. in acknowledgment, said he would do his utmost to further the interests of the work of the institute.
The President's Address.
Mr. Jackson said it was generally agreed that a cleansing department was an essential feature of the public ser vices. If efficient service were to be given an independent officer was an ab solute necessity. So varied was the work, and with so many ramifications, that it was found necessary in Birmingham to employ mechanical and electrical engineering, chemistry, accountancy, costing, correspondence and sales staffs.
When the institute was formed 28 years ago, they had no mechanical ap
pliances of importance. The rolling stock consisted of horse-drawn vehicles with one or more destructors, or as they prefer to call theim now, incinerators. That there should still be in existence in many large cities and towns the old privy midden, a veritable heritage of an insanitary past, or the slightly improved pail or pan system for the temporary retention of " refuse " on the householders' premises cannot but be regarded as a dark page in the history of sanitary work. Ashbins of all sizes and descriptions were still tolerated. The old type of rumbling and screeching carts was still to be seen, in some cases side by side with the modern type of mechanical transport. Destructors,
ancient and modern, were in operation. Wbat were their hopes for the future? His hope was that the institute would develop the examination scheme for new members. Then there must be publicity methods ; a comprehensive programme should be adopted for educating and stimulating citizens, and housewives in particular, in the reduction of the yield of house refuse. The question of the evolution of our transport, added the president, is one of the greatest importance, and I would like to see our institute tackle the problem, so far at any rate as it applies to cleansing operations, and spread their considered data amongst the members interested in the problem. (Applause.) He emphasized the importance of accurate statistics and costing returns.
Costing.
An interesting paper on the subject of " Costing : its application to public cleansing, with a reference to mechanical accounting devices and output bonus schemes" was read by Mr. H. Cook, cleansing superintendent and transport officer, Rochdale (late chief inspector, Birmingham Salvage Dept.). He said that the Ministry of Health had already requested local authorities to adopt a system of costing ; and if the course of action proposed in the recommendations of the Ministry was not effectively adopted throughout the cleansing service, then the periodical preparation and submission to the Ministry of standardised cost tables might, in time, be required by law.
There was a remarkably fine and very large display of motor vehicles and other equipment used in modern salvage and cleansing work. They were lined up along the roads in the locality of the destructor works. The president said it was the finest display of sanitary vehicles he had seen.
Among the vehicles and appliances shown were the A.E.C. 28 h.p. 2i-ton hydraulic tip-wagon ; the Foden 6-ton wagon ; the Karrier sprinkler, sweeper and collector ; the Karrier gully and cesspool emptier ; and the Karrier sprinkler and street washer ; the Fordson and Eagle tipping trailer ; the Thornycroft gully emptier and street waterer ; the Fowler gully emptier ; the Dennis gully emptier, waterer and washer ; the Lacre road sweeper and the Lacre 2-21-ton tip-wagon ; the S. and D. Freighter tip-wagon ; the Guy 3i-ton low-loading tip-wagon ; the Morris tipwagons and Vulcan street sweeper and collector.