hung in the water buckets, for quickly damping out a small fire. Owing to the cramped nature of many of the cutlery factories, care is needed when arranging for the doors of workrooms to open outwards, to avoid blocking passage ways or staircases, but it has generally been found possible to overcome these difficulties. Sliding doors have been adopted in a few instances, but they are unpopular amongst occupiers and cutlers alike. Two noticeable results of the Regulations are (1) the frequent sweeping out of the waste, which is being very fairly done and has led to a better general standard of cleanliness in the cutlers' shops, and (2) the decrease in the amount of smoking in the workrooms. It cannot be supposed that this practice has entirely ceased, however, as it is often a difficult one for the Inspector to detect. Breaches of this Regulation and others which depend for their success on the co-operation of the workers are much more common in tenement factories owing to the inevitable slackness of shop discipline under this system. Perhaps the most important Regulation, and certainly the one which presents the most difficulty in Sheffield, concerns the provision of adequate means of escape in case of fire. Many of the factories are old and intricate, and the alternative means of exit have to be carefully thought out. In the case of tenement factories, emergency exits must often lead through different tenants' shops, and the danger of obstruction, should one of the communicating shops be temporarily vacant, must always be kept in mind. Chemical Works. These Regulations, which did not come into force until 1st October, 1922, supersede the old Special Rules for Chemical Works (made nearly 30 years ago), the Regulations for Nitro- and Amido- Derivatives of Benzene, those for Chromate and Bichromate of Potassium or Sodium, and embody the Voluntary Code for the Distillation of Tar. The difficulties met with so far in administration have been few and there is good reason to anticipate that compliance will be secured without serious difficulty. In a code of this character, dealing with a varied class of industry ranging from the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations on the one hand to large alkali works on the other, the need for power of exemption, to meet the varying conditions under which the processes are carried on, is evident. Certificates of exemption have so far been granted in a few cases only, other claims, dealing more particularly with the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia and with the dehydration of tar in gas works, are at present under consideration. Experiments are being made by the Chemical Warfare Committee of the War Office to determine what class of self-contained breathing apparatus can be sanctioned for use in gas contaminated atmospheres, such as occur in some chemical works, and the conditions under which their use can be allowed. Meanwhile no authority to use self-contained breathing apparatus has been sanctioned and occupiers have been advised to rely upon a face mask provided with a tube passing to the outside air. ' As the Regulations have been in operation for so short a period, it is not possible to give any detailed account of their observance. The preliminary reports which have been received, more particularly from Mr. Brothers (Warrington) in whose area a large proportion of the more important works are situated, are entirely satisfactory, and suggest that in many works a full measure of compliance has already been secured. Certain difficulties of interpretation are fore-shadowed, as regards, for instance, whether there is or is not a "liability to explosion in individual cases such as to necessitate the precautions against naked lights and fires required by Regulation 4, and whether or not dangerous gas or fume is "liable to escape under particular circumstances, and so necessitate the provision of rescue apparatus required by Regulation 6. With past experience to serve as a guide, there should not be serious difficulty in meeting objections of this kind. The Regulations contain important provisions, making it obligatory, before any person enters any place where there is reason to apprehend the presence of dangerous gas, for a responsible person, specially appointed for the purpose, personally to examine such place, and to certify in writing that it is isolated and sealed from every source of gas or fume, and is free from danger. A good example of a form of certificate used in a tardistilling work is supplied by Mr. Peacock (East Manchester). Form of Certificate. EXAMINATION OF BOILER, STILL, TANK, OR CHAMBER BEFORE Charging Pipe... Swan-neck or Column Connection.. Pitch or Liquor Outlet from Still. Liquor Return from Column.... Has sufficient time been allowed for the vessel to cool and air? I certify that the vessel is, in my opinion, safe for men to enter without the use of special breathing apparatus. Signature... Docks. These Regulations cover all the processes of loading and unloading and coaling ships, and also the handling of goods at docks, wharves and quays. There are about 4,000 registered premises under the Regulations, other than wharves attached to factories or workshops, but this total includes many unimportant quays where the processes are only carried on infrequently, and also many small canal wharves in inland districts. Special records were kept during 1922 in all the maritime districts of any importance to show in greater detail than usual, the results of dock and ship inspections, and particulars of the accidents which occurred at work under the Regulations. In these districts there are 2,933 docks, wharves and quays registered, and 1,969 of them were visited by the Inspectors. The important docks were inspected many times during the year; the unvisited premises are chiefly small wharves which are only used intermittently. At these visits, 7,360 inspections of ships were made, 5,258 different ships being inspected, and 15 separate prosecutions were instituted, 26 cases being taken. Seventy-four fatal and 4,975 non-fatal accidents were notified but of these only 7 fatal and 31 non-fatal accidents are reported as being due to breaches of the Regulations. TABLE I.-Dock Accidents, 1922. (Maritime Districts of Great Britain). The principal numbers are totals (fatal and non-fatal), small figures at the right are fatal cases only. The special enquiry thus confirmed the information given in previous reports that an extremely small proportion of dock accidents is due to the absence of precautions required by the Regulations. It will be seen from Table I that the proportion last year was less than 1 per cent., and that the great majority are due to causes entirely outside the scope of the Regulations. In order to obtain a clearer picture of the precise causes of these accidents, a detailed analysis has been made of all the |