FOUL SMOKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 24 November 1943, Page 4

FOUL SMOKE

C LOTHES AND LINEN SPOILED HOUSEWIVES COMPLAIN A housewife from the Port came to ■he “Mail” office yesterday with a handkerchief. It was a specimen handkerchief. pitted and spotted and holed—iust little ones but plenty of them. She said she had other linen and garments at home which were well on the way to being spoiled. Her neighbour had recently been in tears over some new oillowslips and what with coupon demands and high prices they were not easy to replace nowadays.

The exhibit and accompanying explanation were to reinforce a grievance she bore against the smoke from the '•himney of the city electricity generating station, ft was foul smoke, she said.

•’ seemed to have been fouler lately. There was soot and grit in it and some kin:! of chemical which set up corrosive action on clothes which vvei e hung out on the line to dry. Many clothes of the householders near the station had teen almost ruined, she said. Perhaps it was the kind of coal being used that had made it worse lately: perhaps it was because the flues "'ere cleaned out, too infrequently She did not know but was very positive about the effect of smoke on the daily and weekly washing.

The Electrical Engineer, Mr E. Fleming, stated in reply to an inquiry that there has been no change in the type of coal used, and the flues are attended to every week.