CAMPAIGN AGAINST NOISE PROPOSED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31317, 13 March 1967, Page 20

CAMPAIGN AGAINST NOISE PROPOSED

The possiblity of national moves to combat noise will be discussed by the Christchurch branch of the League for the Hard of Hearing. The annual conference of the league will be held in Timaru on March 18. Noise was a major problem and there were many people whose hearing was being affected by unduly high noise levels, said the secretary of the Christchurch branch (Mr A. I. E. Pitt). Dr. A. C. Millar, who is in charge of the National Audiology Centre in Auckland, would be at the conference, and after the branch had considered the matter a national campaign might be discussed, Mr Pitt said. An unfortunate aspect of the noise problem was that in New Zealand loss of hearing was not met by compensation, said Dr. R. B. Cossham, a deputy medical officer of health. If it were, there would be. more interest in the problem.

There was no specific legislation governing excessive noise in factories and workshops, although if residents complained it became a matter for local authorities. A spokesman for the City Council’s traffic department said that regulations should provide for instruments recording noise level.

“At present we can and do take action over noisy motorcycles but usually if we receive a complaint, or there is clear evidence of annoyance being created,” he said. Without a dozen witnesses, it was most difficult to cinvince a magistrate that a noise was, in fact, causing an annoyance, he said.

“What we would like Is the use of instruments to measure noise levels, such as those used in other countries,” he added. “This will come in three or four years’ time —we can’t continue with the noise level as it is now.”