Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29
SMOKE FIGHT
ON AT LAST
COUNCIL HEARS FROM SEVERAL
INTERESTS
STEAM RAILROADS SUBMIT NEW
SPECIAL CLAUSE
Proposed Legislation Discussed from
Manufacturing, Health and Civic
Standpolnts, but Action Is
Laid Over

The fight on smoke consumption was
tees
The gas company had representatives
on hand who made the plea that it's posi-
tion was different from that of any other
gas company.in the United States, as 1t
| is the only large corporation that uses
oil for fuel.
| Attorney Herbert Goudge claimed that
the pending ordinance was not reasona-
BILE or practicable anu non-enforceable
The gas company had spent thousands Of
dollars, he said in trying to introduce
apparatus that would consume waste
| smoke.
No Hardship Intended
| Councilman Wallace remarked that Los
Angeles had reached a point where a
smoke ordinance was necessary, but the
council did not want to work hardship
on Industries. The public health required
some relief from the smoke and SCOT.
however. On the other hand, 1t Is prob
able that the whole question of preven-
ton could not be settled at once, and it
would. be well. he said, not to try 1t as
one job.
| Maj. E. b. Powell of the Ninth Ward
Improvement association said there was
possibility of consuming every bit Of
smoke. Prevention, however, was expen-
sive and many manufacturers did not
want to go to the expense of introducing
machinery.
From Health Standpoint
| Dr. George Kress, representing the city
and county medical associations, argued
for the pending measures from health
standpoint.
He said in Los Angeles smoke had be-
come a real menace to health, and 1t de-
stroyed thousands of dollars worth of
property. The Los AngeleS standard in
the proposed ordinance was that of Phil
adelphia.
| Engineers, he said, are agreed that
practically all smoke can be done away
with without injuring manufacturing in
| terests.
DR.. Kress cited Baltimore as city
| prohibiting smoke for more than six min
utes of continuous emission, while Min
neapolis prohibited it without any ex-
emptions.
Employees of big companies did not dare
to testify that the smoke is necessary,
he said, though employers say that 1t is
unavoidable.
He thought the gas company poured q
great deal of sludge into its furnaces,
hence the vast volumes of smoke there
that brought forth SO many complaints.
Railroads Suggestion
| Frank Karr for the railroad interests
presented an amendment which he said
would make the present ordinance as pro-
posed satisfactory to the steam railroads.
This was as follows:
Section Q. 1t is hereby forbidden and
declared to be unlawful to suffer or
permit the emission or escape of
smoke of greater degree of darkness
than No. 1 scale from any fire or fires,
whether the same be active, burning
or banked or in state of rest, and
whether said smoke be suffered or per-
mitted to escape through a stack, fiue
or chimney, or from an open space;
provided, however, that 1t shall not be
unlawful to permit or suffer the ennis
sion or escape of such smoke of
| greater degree of darkness than No.
scale for a period of not more than
| five consecutive minutes from any To-
comotive standing at rest; and, pro-
| vided further, that none of the pro-
+ visions of this ordinance shall apply to
| a locomotive or locomotives in con-
tinuous transit through or across the
city, or while entering or departing
| therefrom.
| It was finally decided to take the smoke
problem up two weeks hence at 10 a. m.