STORAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17997, 14 February 1924, Page 10

STORAGE OF DANGEROUS GOODS

MAYOR OF CHRISTCHURCH IN ERROR.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER,

(SPECIAL TO "THE* TBESS.")

WELLINGTON, February 13,

Allegations by the Mayor of Christchurch that the Government in the control it exercised over the storage in cities of dangerous goods was attempting to take from local authorities revenue which these bodies should have is challenged by the Hon. R. F. Bollard, Minister of Internal Affairs. The Mayor stated the means adopted by the Government to secure the revenue was to have all prosecutions for improper storage of dangerous goods ltsd under Statute instead of under local body by-laws. The Minister said the Mayor was er.tirelyi under a misapprehension. "Prosecution under the Statute." said. Mr Bollard, "involved the forfeiture oi the goods concerned. The practice of the Explosives Department has been to prosecute in this way only where Ruch penalties are thought necessary owing to flagrant breaches of the Aot being committed after warning had been given. Only four cases have been taken in this manner by the Department prior to the recent Christchurch prosecutions. As a result of several inspections it was found that the conditions of storage of dangerous goods in Christchurch were most unsatisfactory. This was represented to the City Council and the latter advertised in the local papers that failure to comply with the by-law after January Ist, 1924, would be followed by prosecution, but this method was not effectivo. The Department then decided to take prosecutions in representative cases to give publicity to the requirements of the Act. As the City Council's advertisement implied that prosecutions would not be taken under the by-law before January Ist. the Department had no option but to take the cases under the Statute. The penalties (imposed by the Statute have not been i enforced, and the forfeited goods were returned to the defendants on payment of the prosecution costs. The number of licenses issued under the Explosives and Dangerous Goods Act at Christchurch before the Department took action," added the Miiijster, "was less than one hundred, but a recent enquiry showed that a further five hundred applications for licenses had * since been received by the city authorities. The effect of the prosecutions would therefore be to considerably in--crease the Council's revenue rather than reduce it as alleged by the Mayor of Christ-church."