H.—22,

Inspection. —Practically all boroughs and town districts where the Act is administered by the local authority were inspected at least once. A considerable amount of additional inspection was carried out in country districts, and this work is reflected in the additional number of licenses issued. (Special inspections were also made in connection with the bulk installations being erected by the oil companies. Cinematograph Film. —Considerable progress has been made during the year in the administration of the Dangerous Goods (Cinematograph-film) Regulations. A special effort was made to get in touch with the occupiers of the country theatres, and as a result projection-rooms of reasonably satisfactory construction have been erected in the great majority of country halls in which film is screened. The experiments made by the Department, and the result of fires which have occurred from time to time in the screening of film, indicate that a projection-room lined with flat galvanized iron, with the sheets overlapping so as to form an unbroken surface, is adequate to confine the class of fire usually experienced in screening of film, and that, save under exceptional circumstances, the fire will not involve the rest of the building. This type of projection-room has been adopted as a minimum for country theatres, and the majority of the showmen concerned have now realized that a projection-room of this class is not expensive to erect, and is not only a safeguard to the building and the audience, but is much more convenient than screening in the body of the hall, and makes it possible for them to provide a better entertainment. A number of applications have been made for use of portable projection-rooms by persons engaged in screening film on circuit. Experience has shown that this class of projection-room is not satisfactory when placed inside a building, but approval has been given for the use of a portable room which is erected as required 011 a platform permanently attached to the outside of the hall. Screening is carried on through a window or a port cut in the wall. In addition to the work in connection with country theatres, arrangements have been made for the reconstruction of projection-rooms in a number of the urban theatres. The increase of the work generally is illustrated by the fact that 516 licenses were issued, as compared with 326 for the previous y ear - Prosecutions.—Five prosecutions under the Dangerous Goods (Cinematograph film) Regulations, 1925, were taken during the year —four for screening cinematograph film in unlicensed halls, and one for failure to comply with an Inspector's report to repair a cinematograph-machine. Fines from £2 to £18 were inflicted. In addition a number of prosecutions were taken by licensing authorities for illegal storage of petrol —some of these at the instance of the departmental Inspectors. Accidents with Dangerous Goods. —Two fatal accidents occurred with dangerous goods during the year. In both cases they were caused through the ignition of partly filled tins, and in each 'case the gas-mixture in the tin exploded and spread the liquid contents over the person holding it. Details are as follows : — At Wellington an employee engaged in testing butter for moisture was filling a spirit-lamp with methylated spirit when the latter ignited, either from another lamp on the same bench or from the wick of lamp being filled. The flame flashed back into the tin and the gas exploded, throwing the burning liquid over the two men employed in the room. The man holding the tin was so badly burned that he died next day. At Christchurch some boys found a tin containing a small quantity of petrol amongst some rubbish left by a previous occupier of the house. They held a match over the opening of the tin, and the explosion and fire which followed resulted in the death of one of the boys. Another fatal accident, which occurred at Christchurch in December, 1026, is worthy of record as illustrating the danger of home dry cleaning with petrol. Two young women were engaged in cleaning clothes in a petrol bath in the kitchen, and one of them lit a match to light a gas-iron. This caused a slight explosion, followed by fire. Both women were badly burned, and one of them succumbed to her injuries. Drums. —Two accidents were recorded during the year with 40-gallon drums, both of which emphasize the necessity for care in handling these containers when empty. At Auckland a man was engaged in welding a drum which had contained methylated spirit. The drum exploded, and the man was seriously injured. The drum had not been cleared from vapour before the welding was commenced. At Westport an empty drum was obtained and water run through it for two days in an attempt to clear out the petrol. The drum was then emptied, and at the time of the accident a youth was sitting on it. He lit a match to light a cigarette, and in doing so passed the lighted match over the opening of the drum, when a severe explosion occurred. The youth was badly injured, and is still in hospital. Accidents in filling Underground Tanks. —Three accidents in filling underground tanks were recorded during the year. All occurred with tanks situated beneath buildings, and were due to the cap of the drip pipe being left off during the filling, with the consequent escape of vapour into the building. In two cases explosions occurred of sufficient force to blow out windows and doors and cause minor structural damage. Accidents with Petrol-pumps. —Only one accident occurred during the year which may be ascribed to the operation of a petrol-pump. In this case the pump was of a motor-driven type which had not been approved by the Department. The bowl was overfilled, and the petrol flowed down the outside of the pump. An ignition occurred, probably owing to a defect in the electric motor or wiring. The contents of the bowl were discharged and burned on the ground. The accident fortunately happened in an open service station, and no damage was done except to the pump which caused the accident and an adjoining pump. A number of fires have occurred during the year in buildings under which petrol tanks were situated, but in no case was the petrol in any tank affected.

3—H. 22.

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