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Session 11. 1912. NEW ZEALAND.

INSPECTION OF MACHINERY: ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR 1911-12.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Hon. the Minister in Charge of the Inspection of Machinery Department to His Excellency the Governor. My Lord, — Inspection of Machinery Department, Wellington, 27th June, 1912. I do myself the honour to transmit herewith, for Your Excellency's information, the report of the Inspection of Machinery Department of the Dominion for the financial year ended the 31st March last. I have, &c, Geo. Lacrenson, Minister in Charge of the Inspection of Machinery Department. His Excellency the Right Hon. Baron Islington, Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand.

The Chief Inspector of Machinep.y to the Hon. the Minister in Charge of the Inspection op Machinery Department. Inspection of Machinery Department, Sir, — Customhouse Buildings, Wellington, 7th May, 1912. I have the honour to submit herewith the annual report on the operations of the Inspection of Machinery Department during the twelve months which ended on the 31st March, 1912. During the year nothing has occurred to mar the smooth working of the Department. No loss of life or limb has been reported with boilers during the year, and at the end of a year this is a very gratifying statement to be able to make. I heartily congratulate the various Inspectors on their year's work, on the zeal they have displayed, and on the means they have adopted to ensure public safety against accident with steam machinery. In reading over the British Board of Trade's latest available returns as recorded in that body's reports on Preliminary Inquiries under the Boiler Explosions Acts, I find the total number of explosions during the year 1909-10 was 103. As a result of these explosions 14 persons were killed and 62 were injured, making a total of 76 casualties. There is no doubt that compulsory inspection tends to diminish the dangers attendant on the working of all vessels carrying steam under pressure. The owners themselves are alive to this fact also, for they seldom object to make the timely repairs asked for by the Inspectors at their annual inspections. Owing to the great increase in the use of machinery in many ways to save labour in manufactures, ire, throughout the Dominion, the present staff is quite inadequate to cope with the inspecting of it, and in the near future it will be necessary to increase the number of Inspectors and Surveyors. It is illegal to work such plants without a certificate. Every year several hundreds of new boilers, machinery, and ships are added to our books, and as the Dominion grows the increase will be proportionately greater. Very few prosecutions have been made during the year. In most cases the prosecutions have been for' working boilers without having the prescribed certificated engine-driver in charge. Several accidents have occurred to persons who were attending to moving machinery, but it is impossible to entirely eliminate these. The surveys of steamships that were due for survey have all been dealt with and completed during the year, excepting in cases where extensions have been given to vessels near the close of the year. Several extensive repairs to steamships have been made with the autogenous welding and cutting-out process during the year. When the work had to be done in a confined space this process has proved of the greatest value as a time-saver, and also in diminishing the cost of repairs where such work had formerly to be done by hand-labour. In building up wasted parts of boilers and in welding fractured parts it has been used with great advantage. During the year there has been a large amount of general repairs done to both steamships and sailing-vessels which has called for close supervision by the staff. • The passing of the Shipping and Seamen Amendment Act, 1909, which received the Royal assent last year, necessitated the surveying of a great number of additional sailing-vessels and

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