STOLEN DETONATORS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 1 July 1937, Page 4

STOLEN DETONATORS

-Preas Association.)

Young Culprits Might Have Been Killed MAGISTRATE'S COMMENT

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. The danger of playing with detonators was stressed by Mr H. P. Lawry, S.M., in the Children' s Court at Petone to-day, when a boy was charged with two others who will appear to-morrow, with the theft of 200 detoflators and also with the theft of eight sticks of gelignite on one day and six sticks of gellgnite another day. In all four chai'ges of theft were made against tlie boy and one charge of mischief, Another boy appeared on two charges of theft. Detective F. N. Robinson said that the boy and two others stole the gelignite and the detonators from tlie Gracefield quai'ry, by breakiilg into a concrete magazine. They eniptied the powder out of the detonators and threw stones until the p'owder exploded. One 'of the boys threw away some of the detonators, which were found by young children. A man came to the police station and said that he found his child with a detonator iu his Atnputh. He took the detonator away' iraia the child and threw it in the fire, ai\d then there was an explosion. Mr Lawry saidl the boys migljt have been killed, and tlie detonator^ were capable of blowing up the liouSe. The child who had a detonator in hisjmouth might have had his head blown'off, as biting on a detonator would .explode it. The child was lucky t0 b'e alive. The boys, who were first offendek's, were admonislied and discharged, ordered to make restitution. t