Early morning sound and fury
WORKMEN wear ear defenders when they’re drilling holes in the road, gardeners when they are motor-mowing the seafront greensward and ground crew when seeing off your jet-airliner to Majorca.
FOR most people, however, there is no protection from this 21st century noise pollution and many of us yearn for the quietness and genteel town that Worthing must have been a century ago.
But was it?
Not according to the “Irate Worthing Ratepayer” who wrote the following letter to the editor of the Worthing Gazette in May 1914 – just before the outbreak of the noisiest war in history.
“Dear Sir,” she complained. “Will you kindly permit me to draw attention to the annoyance caused to many inhabitants by fish hawkers and others.
“To my knowledge, an Act of Parliament that prohibits the crying of wares before eight o’clock in the morning is in force here. Nevertheless, there are some who ignore it by shouting their wares soon after 7.30am. These may be in a minority but as soon as eight o’clock strikes the noise in some places becomes deafening.
“While recognising the right of the costermonger to sell his goods, surely this should be done within reason; but many of them make a “running fire” of their cries, with scarcely a break from one end of the street to another.
“And such voices! One wonders how men can emit so great a volume of sound. Nothing but a foghorn or an abominably loud motor horn can compare with them.
“Again, the milk carriers. True, they generally conform to the law as to time of calling “Milk-O!” but as early as six to 6.30am they come along in pairs, and in loud voices converse with each other in shouts to be heard the length of the streets.
“As to the former class, the public could remedy matters by declining, as I do, to buy from noisy traders. As to the second, I feel sure that the dairymen could stop the nuisance by a word to their men.
“One young fellow seems to think he is a budding Caruso, for he sings snatches of operatic and other songs on his lonesome. He has a fair voice, but we don’t want to be awakened to hear it at 6.30am!”
(Signed) “An Irate Worthing Ratepayer”
