EXTRAORDINARY RECORD.
Some extraordinary figures showing the quantities of explosive material produced in factories licensed in Britain from August -I, 1914, to November 11, 1018, appear in the report of the Inspectors of Explosives for the year 1918. These quantities include:—
Ballistite and cordite. 181,712 tons; gunpowder. 60,09-1 tons; picric acid, tri-nitro-toluol, and other coal tar derivatives, 107,713 tons. Ammunition. Cartridges for small arms, 3,374,089,742; percussion and rim fire caps, 1,771,151,762; railway for signals, 8,950,000; safety fuse, 729,118,360 yards; cartridges for cannon, shells, mines, etc., 96,222,841; filled shells, bombs, mines, etc., 29,224,773; detonators and electric detonators, 934,596,960; filled grenades, 83,681,717; fuses for shells, 50,201,856; incendiary bombs, 4,514,228; signal cartridges, rockets, etc., 100,387,711.
Although the maximum number of workers at the explosive factories was 86,555, and the overage was 61.505, there were only 325 lives lost and 1316 smaller casualties in 44 years, or an average of 76.5 persons killed and 316 injured per annum. Only seven deaths occurred in this period in the manufacture of gunpowder.
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Otaki Mail, 31 December 1919, Page 4
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166EXTRAORDINARY RECORD. Otaki Mail, 31 December 1919, Page 4
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