Accidents.-One accident (299) in conveyance came to our notice during the year, and was due to burning oil from a burning goods store flowing into a siding and setting fire to two railway wagons, each containing one case of 10,000 detonators. -See also the Accident Section of this report.

Bye-laws.-New or amended bye-laws for harbours have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Transport during the year for Aberdovey, Alexandra Docks (Newport), Barry Docks, Burry Port, Holyhead (Old and Inner Harbour), Llanelly, Oulton Broad (Lowestoft), Penarth, Port Talbot, River and Firth of Forth, and the model code of bye-laws was approved for the Great Western and the Southern Railways.

IMPORTATION.

Licences.-One hundred and fifty-five licences were granted during the year, and the duration of five licences granted in the previous year was extended.

Irregular Importation.-In September, the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board reported the prosecution by them under their bye-laws of an importer who had brought on to the premises of the Board a consignment of fireworks. He was fined £10 under the Boards Explosives Bye-laws and £5 in respect of an offence under their Fires and Lights Bye-laws.

There were, as usual, a considerable number of instances of toy and other fireworks being imported without licence. As, however, in every case the irregularity was clearly due to ignorance of the law and not to a deliberate attempt to evade it, covering licences were issued and the consignments released in due course.

In two cases a quantity of explosive in excess of that specified in the licence was imported and further licences were issued to cover the excess.

CHEMICAL WORK.

The total number of samples examined during the year amounted to 281 as against 357 in the previous year, the reason for this decrease being that for the first few weeks after the transfer of the work to the Research Department we refrained from drawing samples as freely as usual so as to reduce the work during the transition as far as safely practicable. Of these samples 15 were for the Mines Department and five in connection with the Testing Station.

The great majority of the samples examined were found to be of good quality and correct in composition as specified in the Authorized and Permitted Lists. In 25 cases, however, a slight deviation from specification was found, in two others the Heat Test was slightly below the standard and one sample showed a tendency to exudation of nitro-glycerine. In each instance the attention of the manufacturer was called to the defect, which in no case was of a serious character. Nine samples of new explosives passed our tests for authorization, and one was withdrawn after passing the preliminary test.

WORKING OF THE ACT BY THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

We have, as usual, devoted some portion of our time to visiting Local Authorities in various parts of the kingdom, and have, in most cases, in company with their officer appointed under the Act, visited a certain number of stores or registered premises under their control. In this way we have visited in all 115 stores and 436 registered premises. The majority of these places were found to be well kept; but, as stated above, there were many irregularities of a minor character, indicating a want of strict supervision by the local officers.

Year.

Of the "Guide to the Explosives Act, 1875," which was originally prepared mainly for the assistance of Local Authorities, 198 copies were sold during the year.

ACCIDENTS.

Generally. The total number of accidents reported to us during the year was 428, causing 37 deaths, and injuries to 437 persons. The total number of accidents is above that of last year, viz., 428 against 380. Although the total number of casualties is greater the number of deaths is less, viz., 37 against 52, while the number of injured is 437 against 373.

Formerly it was our practice to compare the numbers each year with the averages over the past ten years, but the high figures which obtained during the war would make this misleading, and it is better to compare the number of accidents, deaths and injuries with the averages for the years 1905 to 1914, which were Accidents, 434'5; deaths, 56°1; persons injured, 433.9.

The following table shows the total number of accidents and of persons killed and injured during the past ten years, as well as the groups under which the accidents occurred :

TABLE I.

Showing the ACCIDENTS in MANUFACTURE, KEEPING, CONVEYANCE, USE and MISCELLANEOUS respectively in each of the last TEN YEARS.

It is to be noted that over 93 per cent. of the accidents causing death or personal injury occurred under miscellaneous conditions to which the controlling provisions of the Explosives Act do not apply, and that these accidents were responsible for 32 out of the 37 deaths, and 407 out of the 437 cases of injury (Table I).

The total number of accidents in manufacture, keeping, and conveyance, the conditions to which the Act does apply, was 67, causing five deaths and injuries to 30 persons, and of these 67 accidents 42 were unattended by personal injury, while of 361 accidents in use, etc., only two were reported which did not cause injury.

While this is, no doubt, partly due to the fact that an accident in use, not causing injury, would very rarely be reported, whereas the slightest case of fire or explosion which may occur in a licensed factory must be notified at once, it is only reasonable to assume that the numerous precautions adopted to minimise the risk of injury in case of accident during manufacture must be credited with a considerable share in this satisfactory result. This is borne out by a study of the accidents during manufacture of articles such as detonators, with which, out of the 12 accidents reported, seven were unaccompanied by personal injury, and also in the case of explosions in gunpowder incorporating mills.

The Table on page 17 gives the accidents under the various heads. A list of all accidents, with a short account of each, is given in Appendix A.

Inquests. During the past year we attended six inquests on persons killed by accidents in connection with explosions (Section 65).

Inquiries. No inquiries under Section 66 were held during the year.

It was decided for reasons of economy that "Special reports of inquiries under Section 66 would not in future be issued, except in the case of an accident of a very exceptional nature, but that the results would be embodied in the next Annual Report." Consequently, no such reports were made on the explosions at the factory of Messrs. W. H. Wakefield and Company, Limited, at Gatebeck (No. 135); at Messrs. Curtis's and Harvey's factory, at Roslin (No. 195); and at the factory of the Intermediates and Explosives, Limited, at Middlestone, Co. Durham (No. 334); but descriptions are given below, under the heading of Accidents in Factories."

Accidents in Factories.*-The number of accidents in factories (60+) shows an increase on the number for 1922, which was 51. Of these 60 accidents, 37 were unattended by personal injury.

* This does not include accidents (if any) in “rooms" appropriated or in use for the manufacture of small-arm cartridges in connection with magazines, stores or registered premises, in virtue of Section 46, or in the preparation or adaptation of explosives in "workshops" connected with magazines or stores, in virtue of Section 47, or the illegal manufacture of explosives in unauthorized places.

We have, however, since 1902, omitted accidents from the fuming off of guncotton centrifugals unless such accidents cause personal injury, as is rarely the case, and we now pursue a similar course as regards ignitions of fuze heads during manufacture.

There were five deaths in manufacture in licensed factories during the year 1923. The number of persons injured in licensed factories was 23, an increase on the number (11) in 1922.

During the year there were 16 accidents in gunpowder factories, 13 of which occurred in incorporating mills. Of these 13 accidents, one (No. 195), to which reference is made below, was fatal, but the remainder caused no personal injury and call for no comment.

The fatal accident (195) occurred at the factory of Messrs. Curtis's and Harvey, Limited, at Roslin, Midlothian, while a workman was lifting a 90 lb. charge of saltpetre powder with a wooden scoop in an incorporating mill, the runners being stationary at the time. The charge exploded and burned him so severely that he died next day. Considerable damage was done to neighbouring building. The cause of the accident could not be ascertained.

Of the other three accidents in gunpowder factories, the first (No. 3) occurred in the pump room adjoining a press house. The press-man and his assistant, when attempting to stop the pump by opening the release valve, found the valve set. The press-man then struck the valve with a steel spanner. This caused a spark, which ignited gunpowder dust about his sleeves. and ankles, and also communicated to gunpowder on his assistant's clothes. No damage was done to the building, which was not a danger building. Loose metal tools were forbidden in this building after the accident.

The second (No. 76) occurred while testing cartridges in the open. Through using too short a fuze the operator's hand and wrist were badly burned.

The third (No. 135) occurred in a corning house, and as no special report was written, a somewhat full account follows:

The accident occurred at Factory 19, Westmorland, belonging to Messrs. W. H. Wakefield and Company, Limited, Gatebeck, Kendal. The corning house (No. 12) blew up on May 17th, 1923, and the two hands were killed. The corning house was built of stone and had a roof of heavy slates. Two buildings joined the corning house on either side and were separately licensed as an "Engine House" and "Store House." The corning machine was on the usual principle, except that there was no emergency stopping gear, and no spring or lever releases for the rolls. If any obstruction jammed a roll it was found that the driving belt immediately came off. The corning machinery was driven by a 10 h.p. electric motor, which was installed in 1912. The motor was enclosed and pipe ventilated. The two pipes opened on to the front face of an annexe, which stood 14 feet 6 inches back from the front of the corning house. One pipe was 12 inches in diameter and the other 10 inches by 4 inches cross-section, a gauze of 9 mesh to