This clip is courtesy of the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive as part of their Nature Matters project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Nature Matters explores the archives through an environmental lens and includes activities such as film digitisation, events, outreach and contemporary collecting (the search for nature-based films of the last few decades). Find out more about the project: https://www.yfanefa.com/nature_matters
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 (Music)
00:16 These days a warm and comfortable home is no longer a luxury, but an essential part of our everyday life.
00:24 And in industry, heat plays an important part in many processes.
00:29 For years, coal was cheap and provided our warmth at home and the heat for industry.
00:34 But with what result? A smoke-filled, dirty atmosphere.
00:39 More important still is the effect on our health.
00:42 The water we drink is purified at great cost.
00:46 We take considerable care to clean food carefully before we eat it.
00:50 But whilst drinking and eating are integral parts of our daily lives, breathing is an unconscious act.
00:56 A pity, for as we breathe in the dirt, it stays in the lungs and contributes to ill health,
01:02 and in foggy weather can result in disease and death.
01:05 It's only rarely that the town dweller can escape to the countryside or to the sea,
01:10 where he's able to breathe pure, clean air.
01:15 (Music)
01:23 Smoke abatement is not entirely new. There have been regulations controlling industrial smoke to some extent for many years.
01:30 Industry has realised that smoke means wasted fuel and some effort has been made to eliminate waste.
01:36 But now the Clean Air Act has accelerated the whole process, and not only for industry.
01:41 For although you may think industry is the main culprit,
01:44 in fact almost half the total smoke in the atmosphere is produced from ordinary domestic chimneys.
01:50 That's why you'll be asked to play your part when your district is made a smoke control area.
01:55 How are you affected if your house is in a smoke control area?
01:58 Well the first important thing is that you won't be able to get supplies of ordinary coal, only authorised fuels.
02:05 This means your coal-burning fire grates have to be replaced by coke, gas or electricity.
02:13 After a survey you'll be given notice by the council and you'll have to convert your coal-burning grates.
02:19 Whatever you choose, a substantial part of the cost of conversion will be paid as a grant by the council.
02:24 The choice of fuel is entirely yours.
02:27 But if you're out at work or school all day, then you may prefer the convenience of an electric fire.
02:33 Switching on when you come in, there is straight away a welcome warmth.
02:38 And of course electricity is ideal for automatic control, to switch on the warmth before you come home.
02:45 Perhaps you're building a new house. If so, electric floor warming, one of the simplest methods of space heating,
02:51 is economical both in first cost and in running cost.
02:54 But for old or new houses, it isn't only for warming your rooms that heat is needed.
02:59 Plenty of hot water is not only necessary, it's a real aid to the housewife.
03:04 Smokeless water heating and electric immersion heater in the cylinder gives all the hot water you need.
03:09 Electricity for cooking is not only clean, but it's also a great time and labour saver.
03:14 And it can be fully automatic.
03:16 It's simplicity itself for the housewife who is away all day.
03:20 In the morning she can prepare the evening meal, place it in the oven, set the time switch,
03:24 and then go off for the day without any cooking cares.
03:28 [Music]
03:31 [Music]