EXPLOSIONS AT SCHOOLS

Grey River Argus, 30 November 1938, Page 10

EXPLOSIONS AT SCHOOLS

Use by Pupils BOARD MEMBER’S OBJECTION.

WELLINGTON, November 28.

The. serious injury which some, young people had done to themselves by playing with home-made explosives' was mentioned by Mr C. H. Nicholls at a meeting of the Wellington Technical College Board of Gov-ernorpA.to-night. Otlly recently, .Mr Nicholls said, a boy had blown his hand off. • >. • ■ ‘

“Couldn’t we,” he asked, “discontinue teaching, in institutions such aj this, the combining of chemicals to niake explpsions. Personally, I can’t see’any reason fpr it. If it has to be defile, could it not be ifi sUch a way that boys canridt get together arid make this dangerous stuff themselves? It seems to me that boys &®t their first ideas of making explosives in institutions such as this.”

iMr Nicholls suggested that legislation might be passed to prohibit the s&le' of, explosive chemicals to boys under a certain age. The’director (Mr R. G. Riding) said that it 'Would ? be useless to cease instruction because the formulae for explosives were given in every text book on chemistry. . “The drily thing that Will stop the trouble is knowledge and good teaching, ’’ he added. Chemistry shoiild be taught by practical .work in the laboratory. ■ Academic teaching was one of the responsible .fot the danger; but tecbnoloeical teaching would prevent it.