HANDLING OF EXPLOSIVES

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1929, Page 11

HANDLING OF EXPLOSIVES

MINISTER DENIES CHARGE ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE. PRECAUTIONS BY DEPARTMENT. By Telegraph. — Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. “There is no foundation in fact for the allegations made against Public Works officials by Mr. Cook, president of the Alliance of Labour, in regard to the handling of explosives on our works, declared the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, when his attention was directed to an interview on this subject. Mr. Cook blamed the Engineer-in-Chief of the department for failure to issue . instructions in the handling of-explosives to departmental officers in charge'of men. . . “Instruction issued oil this, subject are very explicit . and take a number of forms with the object of impressing the men and the officers in charge, also with the danger of improper handling of ex>plosives,” continued Air. Ransom. “In 1927 the department issued a circular on these lines, and on August 1 last followed this with a 23-page booklet containing diagrams showing how to make up charges, how safe storage places should be built and full instructions for safe use.” Referring to an accident at Waikaremoana the Minister said -the department received a report from an officer in the following terms: ‘“The workman was examining gelignite in a tent in the morning before work' and dropped a plug on a hot iron hearth. The gelignite was not frozen, but in any chie a warming; pan and hot water, with a special man detailed to give gelignite attention, was in the camp.” A previous accident was due to the warming of gelignite in a frying pan when proper hot water appliances were available but not used. “In face of these facts,” the Minister concluded, “it is unfair that departmental officers who have taken so much care to impress on employees the danger of improper methods in the handling of explosives should be blamed for regrettable accidents, and it is only, just to them that these facts should be placed before the public.”