The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1919. AN INVITED TRAGEDY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 34, 4 November 1919, Page 6

The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1919. AN INVITED TRAGEDY

Conditions that call for instant and drastic reform arc disclosed in the report of the Nautical Inquiry into the Tainui disaster—the loss of the coasting steamer of that name, with eight, of the nine members of .her crew, when she was conveying a cargo of benzine from Lyttelton to Wanganui. The tragedy of the affair is deepened now that it is shown so plainly that the fate of the unfortunate seamen who were drowned in attempting to escape from the burning Tainu'i must be ascribed to an absolute failure to enforce the safeguard's in connection with the carriage of a particularly dangerous cargo. On this [point the findings of the Nautical Court, which were published in The Dominion on Saturday, are conclusive. They demonstrate that the disaster which befell the Tainui was tho natural outcome of the condition in which she put to sea. It is extraordinary that such apparent and deadly dangers should have been ignored or accepted by. any of those concerned. In view of the warning given by previous events, notably the loss of the small steamer Defender in Wellington Harbour, the Marine Department can hardly escape its share of responsibility in the matter. ' It is astonishing that the Department failed so completely to enforce regulations which in themselves seem to have been little open to criticism; it is still more' astonishing that this state of affairs was accepted without protest, or with little protest, by all concerned, including those who went to their death in the Tainui. The only feasible explanation seems to be that in spite of the teachings of past experience there was a general failure to realise in their full gravity the, perils that attend tho carriage of benzine in an .unsuitable ship. Howover that may be, an all-sufficient case is now made out for prompt action which will go as far as is humanly possible towards preventing a repetition of the Tainui tragedy. Any failure henceforth to enforce the strictest safeguards in connection with the sea-transport of benzine would be criminal.

In the House of 'Rcprospnta-tivvs yesterday the Minister of Marine pave an assurance that the report and findings of the Nautical Court would be aeted upon. Every endeavour would be made, he said, to put tho regulations in an effective form and. to prevent any similar disasters occurring in future. He would ascertain if the regulations required fo be altered, or if prosecutions were required to he taken against shinowners. Upon this last aspect of the matter it would be inmrnner to comment until a decision has been repelled. In its general bearing the Minister's statement seems fairly to meet the position, though it mu«t be emphasised that the occasion calls for sppedy as well as effective- action. The Minister has acted wiselv in at once appointing an additional officer of his Department trr act, at Lvttclton. but this is only a beginning. The scope, for improving xipon existing conditions is very plainly suggested in the answers of the Court regarding the chief issues submitted to it for decision. It found in regard to these issues that the regulations relating to the shipment and carriage at sea of petroleum were not complied with. The bulkheads of the Tainui. it states, were not capable of holding benzine or benzine fumes, or of preventing the oil from leaking into the bila:es and flowing under the boiler. The cargo was in such a condition, owing to the leakage from tins,,that its reception on any vessel constituted it a source of danger, and the manner in which it was stowed made it almost impossible for the ship to reach its journey's end without an explosion. Such statements made after due andMeliberate investigation scarcely call for comment. They mean obviously that the Tainui went to sea practically in the dition of a bomb, ripe for explosion. In her case the penalty has been paid, but it is at least possible to determine that the same thing shall not happen again. Such a determination involves, amongst other things, an immediate and exhaustive inspection of all ships engaged, or liable to be engaged, in the carriage of benzine in the New Zealand coastal trade. The contrast between (he conditions that exist and those that must be established is perhaps most pointedly drawn by the Court in the following statement: —

The ship was a wooden one, nml as constructed was not safe for the conveyance of petroleum. An iron or steel ship, with bulkheads of tho samo metals constructed and securely riveted to tho outer plating, is tho best and only method of keeping holds air and watertight for petroleum. x\ T o doubt great inconvenience and expense will be involved in providing what the Court has_ declared to be tho only safe conditions for the sea-carriage of petroleum, but tnc matter is emphatically one in which safety must be made tho first consideration. Every effort must be made also to secure an improvement in the condition of the receptacles in which benzine and other volatile oils are brought to this country. Such an improvement may be difficult to arrange, since the matter is outside local control, but it urgently demands attention. It is, of course, evident that the dangers of haiullin.fiand transporting benzine are mveh accentuated when it is packed in leaky tins. As regards the whole question, the keynote, of policy must lie a solid determination to leave nothing in reason undone that will tend to prevent the repetition of such a disaster as overtook the Tainui.