§ 27 and 28. Mr. SHORTasked the Minister of Agriculture (1) whether he is aware of the pollution of rivers by the waste water of sugar-beet factories; whether the Water Pollution Research Board have discovered any simple and practical process by which these waste waters can be purified; and, if so, will he call the attention of sugar-beet factories to this fact, with a view to the discontinuance of such pollution;
(2) whether he is aware of the constant pollution of inland waterways by the effluents from dairies and factories manufacturing milk products; whether the Water Pollution Research Board have discovered processes by which these effluents can be purified; and, if so, will he call the attention of such factories to these processes in the interests of anglers and the preservation of cleanliness and the purity of our water supplies?
§ Mr. ELLIOTThe Ministry has no powers in regard to the prevention and control of river pollution, which is a matter primarily for the local sanitation authorities or fishery boards. I am aware, however, that pollution does occur in some cases. As regards sugar-beet, the Water Pollution Research Board advised in 1931 that the problem of pollution by 22 sugar-beet factories could be largely, and in many cases completely, solved by modifications in the factory processes and by simple methods of treatment of the waste waters so that the waters could be reused in the factory. These conclusions were communicated to the industry and I understand that a number of factories have taken effective steps to prevent pollution. The British Sugar Corporation, which will take over control of the beet-sugar factories if Parliament approves the proposals in the Sugar Industry (Reorganisation) Bill, may be expected to give careful attention to this problem. As regards dairy and milk product factories, I understand that the Water Pollution Research Board has for some months been conducting experiments ion effluent treatment with the financial co-operation of the industry. I have every hope that these experiments, with the progress of which the industry is being kept in close touch, will lead in the near future to useful practical results.