DANGEROUS GOODS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9676, 2 June 1917, Page 9

DANGEROUS GOODS

SERIOUS EIRE NARROWLY AVERTED. The danger of storing benzine and other highly inflammable goods in other than special buildings was exemplified in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, when Guy Leslie Lu] ion, warehouseman, of Wakefield street, was charged with storing benzine without a license. • Mr D. B. Hoggard, who appeared for the defendant, stated that it w-as not the habit of Fulton to keep benzine in store. On the occasion under revieweighteen cases were delivered at the warehouse after 5 o’clock at night. The benzine had been procured for a client, but as it ,could not be sent away that evening oh account of the lateness of the hour it was taken into the store for the night. Mr O’Shea, who represented the corporation, said that tho case was a very serious one. Persons were allowed to keep a small quantity of dangerous goods without a license, and on payment of a license of Ss w-ere permitted to store ten gallons. Anything above that quantity had to bo stored in a fire-proof magazine, but not in a greater quantity than sixty gallons in the city. In the present instance 144 gallons were stored. Only a match-lined partition separated the buildings from the warehouse next door, where JC25,0Q0 worth of goods were in stock. The city authorities have a suspicion that dangerous -goods in larger quantities than is allowed under the by-laws are being stored in premises in the city, but in order to discover the offenders it would be necessary to employ an army of inspectors. To adopt this course was out of the question, and he asked the court to impose a heavy penalty where an offence was proved. The fact that benzine was stored by Fulton w-as discovered through the brigade being summoned to a fire on the premises, and they arrived in time to remove it and thus save a serious conflagration. Benzine when on fire could not be extinguished, and he drew the attention of the Bench to what had happened recently at Napier. '•'he Bench, after descanting upon the danger that existed, and the care necessary when dangerous goods were storid in premises, convicted the defendant, and fined him 40s, together with costs 7s.