BOYS AND CHEMICALS
HOME-MADE EXPLOSIVES LITTLE KNOWLEDGE DANGEROUS <Pm United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Nov. 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 Governors tonight. Only recently. Mr Nicholls said, a boy had blown his hand off. "Could we not," he asked. " discontinue teaching in institutions such as this the combining of chemicals to make explosives? Personally. I cannot see any reason for it. If it has to be done, could it not be done in such a way that boys cannot get together and make this dangerous stuff themselves? It seems to me that boys get their first ideas of making exnlosives in institutions such as this."
Mr Nicholls suggested that legislation might be passed to prohibit the sale of explosive chemicals to boys under a certain age. The directors (Mr R. G. Ridling) said it would be useless to cease instruction because the formulae for explosives were given in every text book on chemistry. "The only thing that will stop the trouble is knowledge and good teaching," he added. Chemistry should be taught by practical work in the laboratory. Academic teaching was one of the things responsible for the danger, but technological teaching would prevent it.
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Otago Daily Times, Issue 23669, 29 November 1938, Page 7
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223BOYS AND CHEMICALS Otago Daily Times, Issue 23669, 29 November 1938, Page 7
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