The Evening Star. MONDAY JUNE 20, 1870.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 140, 21 June 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY JUNE 20, 1870.

In; our issue o£ yesterday wo gave the result as courteously' furhrehed' to us, of the expe;ritneiits on k,erosene ma^de by Mr. Eeijly, Inspector of Weights and Measures'. It Will b je' borne in mind ihap in the 'proviaioiis of the DangeropY Goods- Act ,of 1860 ? there is included any product of petrpleum that will give off an inflammable, yapour when, heated ,to any. temperature under ; 110 .degrees According to that Act,'and the ', proclamation' of the Superintendent' based on it, all such product ip subjected to' very Btringeiit regu'ta'tidn s %to landing and Storage; while of coUys^'aU .prpdujbts

of petroleum that will not emit such inflammable gas until raised to 110 degrees or upwards, are as free m their movements and location as flour or sugar. By the experiments made in the presence of Messrs. Hague Smjth,, Phillips, and Dickey, it appearsvtfiat*good kerosene is so exempt from restrictions ; and the case of such a brand as " Downer's" is removed .far beyond the slightest risk ofiexplpsion; ' AVefrare not aware of anytqther brand"';"having been yet subjected to the recognised system ;of testing, but it is due.to the public/to niiike it known that this brand, if genuine, covers an oil that is no more dangerous than tallow. And we have no hesitation in stepping so far aside from the ordinary track of a leading article, as to say that there is one place in Auckland, Mr. J. Dickey's, of Upper Queen-street, where housekeepers can buy kerosene oil with a certainty of its being free from danger. That gentleman has had the, public spirit to boldly step forward and put his wares to the test; aid it affords us much gratification to draw public attention to the ■ fact, and to ask the public to show their appreciation of the good service he has rendered, and at the same time consult the safety of their own houses and lives. There is plenty of spurious ard dangerous oil in the city, and if other storekeepers neglect to provide the same assurance to the public by a similar certificate, we shall heartily rejoice to learn that the public decline to purchase their' spurious wares. The test is within,' the reach of all, and public safety de-j mands that explosives should not be palmed of on the people as an article of domestic use. Mr. Dickey's Downer's oil, bore the test to 120 degrees, and we know not how much further it might have gone, but that the thermometer registered no higher temperature. "We sincerely trust that the system of certificates suggested by us in a former article will become imperative, and that storekeepers selling kerosene without such certificate of its genuine and safe character, will be regarded with suspicion. In the name" of the public we thank those gentlemen who have interested themselves in these experiments.