STORING EXPLOSIVES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2213, 28 July 1914, Page 6

STORING EXPLOSIVES.

CARE AND CARRIAGE. ROYAL COMMISSION REPORTS. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS. BETTER REGULATION REQUIRED,

The report of the Royal Commission appointed in May last to inquire into the care and carriage of explosives was made available for publication yesterday by the Hon. H. D. Bell (Minister of Internal Affairs)., The essential portions of the report are printed below. The members of the commission wore: Mr. It. W. Holmes (Engineer-in-Ohief to the Public Works Department); Lieutenant T. K. Emsley, R.N.: and Captain H. A. Edwards, R.E. In this district the subject of the care and storage of explosives has attracted a good deal of attention ever since the terrible disaster which occurred at Upper Hutt in the early part of this year, and resulted in the loss of a number of lives. The commission does not deal at length with the care of explosives kept- tor purposes of retail trade, but it recommends ■that .such trading should be subjected to closer Government supervision than at present. ' '. . '' The Scope of Inquiry, The commission . was. instructed to inqfiire into the following. matters:—: (a) Should private magazines for the keeping or storage of explosives be allowed, or should magazines in future be established and maintained" by the Government. - (b) What conditions, should govern the approval or selection of a site for 6uch a magazine. (c) What maximum amount of explosives should be allowed to be stored in any magazine. (d) Should one magazine building be allowed or should a number of small magazines of limited capacity be established at a safe distance from each other. (e) Should the magazines at Maraetai (Auckland) and Thames, having regard to their capacity, propinquity to roads, existing ond intended, adjoining settlement, methods of carriage, and Other, matters, bo continued or closed. , (f) Should the law ,as to the carriage of explosives on shore be' so amended as to expressly permit of such carriage by wagons driven by steam or petrol. (g) And generally to inquire. liito and report upon such other matters arising thereon as might come under its notice in the course of its,inquiries, and which it considered should be investigated in connection therewith.

. Private Magazines Permissible. Having now concluded its investigation, tho commission reports upon the six' questions submitted to it as follows:— ' '

"(1) Wo are of opinion that ho sufficient reasons have been advanced or ore apparent for the Government: assuming control of tho.larger magazines, and also.;.in.*- view, of the large number of small magazines required which it would bo impracticable for the Government to own, that there is no objection to pri-vately-owued magazines being allowed. "(2) "Wo recommend that the following conditions! should bo considered in selecting sites for magazines:— • ■-. "(a) Remoteness from dwellings, population, and from cmbankmonts for preventing inundation. . "(b) Easy communication to and < fro. by water. -.' ' ■ "(c) Remoteness from public roads. ... "(d) Accessibility to roads and railway siding's. . "(e) Reservation of sufficient land . to preserve isolation. '"(f) The presence of natural obstacles for protection purposes, "(g) Natural water supply. . "(h) Observance of British Government Home Office regulations for magazines.". ' Safe Quantities^ • "(3) In populated districts we -recommend a maximum quantity of fifty tons; in other district's where natural conditions afford suitable protection, wo consider that the maximum quantity may bo increased to 100 tons. .Populated district is defined to mean a district in which there is more than one dwelling per sqiiaro mile-.within a radius of five miles from a magazine. •"(4) We are of opinion that a number of small magazines is preferable to one largo magazine.,,. • "(5). We recommend that the magazine at Maraetai should be continued, and that at Thames should be closed, "(6) We recommend that, except on railways, the transport of explosives other than those in Class 6; in mechanically propelled vehicles or in trailers behind such, be prohibited, i . The Auckland Magazines. '■(7) Having inspected the harbour and approaches, we founded our;conclusion- that the m'agazino at Maraetai should bo continued on the following ■reasons: —(a) Its isolated 'position in comparison with other sites; (b) protection afforded by natural features; (c) distance from frequented steamer routes; (d) sheltered position from prevailing winds and sea, thus , facilitating lightering operations; (e) that sufficient land has been acquired to erisuro continuous isolation and compliance with ftome Office regulations; (f) that it of T fers safer conditions than any of the islands-which are situated in a- sufficiently sheltered position' to aljow .of transport of explosives, with safety and minimum interruption. The report sets out the Commission's reasons .for the recommendation that the magazine at Thames bo closed. Having recommended that the present site at Maraetai be] retained for magazines, the' Commissioners make various remarks and recommendations' with regard to the existing building. Objections By Traders. "In connection with the present condition obtaining in Auckland, of Mcbsjs. Nobel owning tbo only available magazine, it- appeare from the evidence that rival traders have some objection to their business' becoming generally known. To overcome' this, Messrs, .Nobel offered to lease tothe Government a sufficient area as sites for, other private or Government magazines. This' would overcome all objections on the part of traders. There are sufficient suitable sites available for the purpose.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS. EXISTING REGULATIONS INADEQUATE. "Wo find it necessary to make tho following recommendations regarding seveial matters which come under consideration during onr broceedines: "(a) The existing Railway, regulations governing the conveyance of explosives tend to enuse illicit conveyance of small packages in passenger trains. We therefore make the following recommendations regarding amendments to the regulations which wo consider desirable:-— . . "(1) That a quantity of csplosivo not exceeding 501b. _ in weight he carried in mixed trains,- in a truck placed at least 70ft. from the locomotive, and also from the nearest, carriage carrying passengers: Such explosivo Bhnll be plncecl inside a v strong iron, cjlittder or. case, heavily

galvanised aftor manufacture, lined with soft felt,. and provided with means to provent the explosive moving. The cases should be provided by the Railway Department or large dealers. "(2) That all regulations dealing with conveyance of explosives bo made public, the largest dealers at present being unaware of tile existence of regulations.

Carriage By Rail. , "(b) In order to facilitate, railway trafliam explosives wo consider that— U) Whenever explosives are conveyed from, the magazine to the railway by water, a special landing, -jetty be constructed connected by siding with tho -railway, and provided with a roof or shed to protect the railway trucks while being loaded. , ■* "(2) That elsewhere a railway «idmg should be constructed as near the magazine as possible, to avoid entirely or reduce to a. minimum' intermediate conveyance,' by road, «nd thereby save handling. Closer Supervision Required. ■"(c) "Wβ.are of opinion that the general Government should exercise a closer supervision than at present exists over tho storage and sale of email quantities of explosives throughout the Dominion. ..J '(a) We recommend that every -vehicle conveying or containing explosives, whether by railway or .road, be distinctly marked by placard with the word "Explosives," and by conspicuous exhibition of a sufficient red flag. *•■-.*.- Magazines on Shipboard. . "(e) We recommend that every coasting vessel carrying explosives bo fitted t r , oved magazine or a portion o.t (the .be speciallj?adapted to meet the requirements of the Inspector °i- Explosives, in which the explosives shall be stored. ' "(13) Several'matters regarding storage and conveyance, and'regarding the obtaining of explosives for criminal purposes outside of their order of reference, the commissioners refer to the consideration of the Department." The remaining, four or five clauses of. the report refer to exhibits—one a newspaper account of the storage of explosives in retail establishments in Tahiatua, another a description of an explosion of, 90 tons of high explosives which occurred in the Suez Canal in 1905, showing especially that the damage was coniiiieu to a. comparatively «nall area.