H.— 22.

Of the net profits of these art unions no less a sum than £48,000 was distributed to the various mayoral funds for the relief of distress, and £11,600 to charitable and philanthropic organizations for social-relief purposes. Of the balance, £5,112 10s.—being the profit of the " Great Air Race " Art Union, No. 34, promoted by the Auckland Aero Club —was allocated to that club to finance its entry in the Melbourne Centenary Air Race. Fire Brigades Act, 1926. The number of Fire Boards now operating stands at 53. The Dunedin Metropolitan Fire District was constituted upon a joint application made by the Dunedin Fire Board and the Mosgiel Fire Board. The district comprises the area of the City of Dunedin and the Borough of Mosgiel. As a result, the Dunedin Fire Board and the Mosgiel Fire Board became dissolved as from the Ist January, 1935. Following the usual practice, the annual report of the Inspector of Fire Brigades will be submitted separately. Explosives and Dangerous Goods. Licenses. Importation licenses were as follows : Gelignite, 1,017,550 lb. ; blasting-gelatine 20,600 lb. ; gelatine dynamite, 9,650 lb. ; A2 monobel, 254,500 lb. ; samsonite, 213,600 lb. ; blastingpowder, 143,750 lb. ; blasting-pellets, 131,250 lb. ; Polar gelignite, 7,500 lb. ; Polar samsonite, 1,500 lb • detonators, 1,515,000 ; E.D. fuses, 589,000 ; fireworks, 50,827 lb. Other licenses were (corresponding figures for previous year in parentheses) : Conveyance 224 (234) ; sale, 584 (581) ; storage, 387 (394). J Examination of Explosives.—Regular examination of all shipments of explosives imported into the country has been maintained, and all such explosives were found in good condition. Low Freezing Explosives.—lt has been the general experience since the introduction of nitroglycerine explosives that a number of accidents occurred—a fair proportion with fatal resultsowing to the freezing of the nitro-glycerine during the winter months. The winter temperatures throughout the South Island and the inland areas in the North Island are sufficiently low to cause the freezing of the nitro-glycerine, and accidents arise both from the irregularity of the action of the explosive when frozen and from the use of improper methods of thawing by miners and other users. A similar experience is common in America and in most European countries, and a modified explosive has now been developed where the nitro-glycerine is partly replaced by a nitrated ethyleneglycol, or poly-glycerine, which does not freeze except at very low temperatures. This has come into general use during recent years and in Great Britain has completely replaced the old type of nitroglycerine explosives. During the year negotiations were arranged between the technical representatives of the suppliers of explosives, the officers of the Mines Department, and the Employers' Association with a view to the introduction of these explosives into New Zealand. Arrangements were made for a trial shipment to be forwarded from Great Britain, and these will be stored in selected localities during the 1935 winter and observations of the behaviour of the explosives under winter conditions will be recorded. It is anticipated that the cost of these non-freezing (Polar) explosives will be slightly higher than the corresponding types at present imported, owing to the fact that some of the raw materials are not manufactured in Australia, from which country the bulk of the nitro-glycerine explosives are received. If, however, the tests to be made prove that the explosives will satisfactorily resist New Zealand winter conditions the increased safety of a non-freezing explosive should more than justify the small additional expense involved in the use of this type. Accidents. Several fatal accidents in the handling and use of authorized explosives were reported during the year, and details of two of these are given below. The first occurred during blasting operations at a quarry and resulted in the death of the foreman. Evidence at the coronial inquiry showed that the deceased was engaged in charging with lithyte a shot-hole, which had previously been " bulled " with gelignite. The charge could not be pushed down to the bottom of the hole owing to a blockage in the bore, and the foreman was attempting to clear the hole with a steel drill when the charge exploded, causing fatal injuries to the foreman and seriously injuring his assistant. The second accident was caused by the ignition of blasting-powder stored in a tent when a small piece of fuse which had been lit for testing was dropped on the powder. As a result of this accident two men died, one received serious burns, and three injuries which subsequently proved not serious. As all six men were actually in the tent at the time of the explosion, the wonder is that any escaped alive. A number of minor accidents was also reported, arising from causes such as children playing with detonators, explosion of apparently misfired charges, carelessness in the handling of explosives, &c. Sodium Chlorate.—Despite the wide publicity already given to this subject and the numerous warnings issued, accidents in which the use of sodium chlorate is involved appear to be as frequent as ever. No fatal accidents in spraying with sodium chlorate have been reported this year, but the use of sodium chlorate mixed with an organic compound as a blasting-explosive was responsible for one death. It appears that the deceased was tamping the mixture into the shot-hole when it exploded The deceased's brother, who was standing close by, also received painful injuries. The dangers attendant on the use of chlorates as components of explosives and also the illegality of such practices have already been fully explained in previous annual reports, but it must here be reiterated that any explosive mixture containing a chlorate is exceptionally dangerous to handle as it is readily exploded by friction or a moderate blow. For this reason the manufacture and use of chlorate explosives is forbidden in New Zealand and in most other countries.

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