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Show Government Is Active in Safeguarding Explosives Director of Bureau of Mines Makes Illuminating-Report Illuminating-Report on Question of Vital Interest. The possession of dangerous explosives by irresponsible and criminal porsons, which has been a constant menace to the nation, will soon be a thing of the past, according to a report submitted to the secretary of the interior by Van H. Manning, Man-ning, .director of the bureau of mines, in reviewing the enforcement of the explosives explo-sives regulation act during the war, says the Mining Congress Journal. This net which was passed as a war measure, and which was meant to keep explosives out of the hands of dynamiters, bomb-throwers and alien enemies with evil Intent will cease operation upon the ratification of peace by the senate. Its operation, according ac-cording to Mr. Manning, disclosed the fact that any criminal could obtain any quantity quan-tity of death-dealing explosives desired for any diabolical aim with verv few questions asked of him as to his purposes. A few of the states had regulations attempting at-tempting to cope with such a situation in peace times, but as a rule they were not as effective as thev should be. Now with the experience of the working of this federal fed-eral act, in which every person using explosives ex-plosives was compelled to take out a license, li-cense, giving under affidavit the purposes for which the explosives were desired, some of the states, in anticipation of the suspension of this act, are busily engaged in creating new and more effective laws governing the use of explosives and in strengthening the old laws on their statute books. Prompt Action Expected. "From the interest now being taken In explosives matters throughout the country, coun-try, and especially by the various state legislatures." said Mr. Manning, "I expect to see wide-sweeping reforms which will safeguard the lives of our citizens better than ever before. That the country will always have some evil-minded people whose bent is toward the destruction of human life or property is evident from the many violations of the law during the period of the war. Ono enemy alien, whose purpose was the destruction of a fellow-citizen, and who was fortunately caught before he had an opportunity to commit his crime, had in his possession a nefarious bomb which it had taken him two months to make because of the difficulty dif-ficulty under the federal law of obtaining obtain-ing the powder. Unable to buy powder as formerly, he went to different stores and purchased nt each a number of small-arms small-arms cartridges, cut them open and used the powder In them to make the bomb. This miscreant was properly punished. This one of many violations of the law, even under the strictest regulations the country ever had, shows the urgent necessity ne-cessity of stronger state laws and a more vigorous enforcement of their provisions. and I am, therefore, glad to see he renewed re-newed interest along these lines by the states. Stringency is Desired. "At the same time, I hope that the states will make more stringent regulations regula-tions governing powder magazines, their location and their proper construction. In our investigations we found thousands of Instances where explosives were stored in the most careless manner, subject to easy theft, and located in magazines in such close proximity to inhabited buildings, public highways and railroads that their presence was a constant menace. Quantities Quanti-ties up to 10,000 pounds In a single magazine maga-zine have been found in the heart of a town, which condition, had an explosion occurred, would have resulted In inestimable inestima-ble loss of life and property. The bureau of mines has had reported to its officers more ahan S000 powder magazines in the country, the owners of which have in many Instances availed themselves of the recommendations of the bureau for better locations and better and safer construction. construc-tion. The bureau will continue to give its best advice on matters of this kind, but this will be a voluntarv service and will have nothing in particular to do with the explosives regulation act, which ijeases operation with peace. From what has already al-ready been accomplished, I expect a great reform in the practice governing powder magazines and consequently a much nearer near-er approach to safe conditions for the people peo-ple of the country. Good Now Accomplished. "As far as the miners of the country are concerned, and In them the bureau of mines has possibly its greatest interest, the enforcement of this act has brought about a notable reform which I earnestly hope will be carried into peace. In the mining districts of many states the miners in the past have not only had free access to explosives, but have made it a common practice to carry the explosives to their homes, often in the thickly populated mining min-ing towns. This was especially prevalent in the winter time, when the miners took the explosives home for the purpose of thawing them out. It was not an uncommon uncom-mon occurrence to find from 60 to 80 pounds of explosives in a single miner's lodging house, and it was not uncommon to have these houses blown up with all the occupants slain. "In the states of Kansas and Alabama about SO per cent of this pernicious practice prac-tice has been done away with through the cooperation of the coal operators in issuing is-suing and selling the explosives to the men at the mine, thereby reducing the necessity of carrying this danger to their lodging houses. In other states great progress is being made in this and the result will be the saving of many lives." |