LAW & ORDER – Gunpowder Stores East Langbaurgh Important Communication from Home Office

Accreditation The Redcar and Saltburn-by-the Sea-Gazette 31/05/1878

INSPECTION OF GUNPOWDER STORES IN CLEVELAND

                At the Guisborough Petty Sessions, on Tuesday (22/05), an important communication in reference to the inspection of gunpowder stores in Cleveland was read from the Home Office. The letter, which was addressed to Mr. W. C. Trevor as clerk to the Justices for the East Langbaurgh Division of the North Riding, intimated that Mr. Secretary Cross observed with regret that: notwithstanding the division contained a number of places where explosives are stored and used, nor officer had been appointed by the Local Authority to carry out the necessary inspection of those places and otherwise to discharge the duties falling to officers of local authorities under the Explosives Act, 1875. The attention of the justices was therefore called to the language of section 69 of the Act, and to the responsibilities and obligations which the section imposed upon them as the local authority, and a hope was expressed that they would without delay take the necessary steps to appoint an officer and to establish an officer and to establish an efficient system of logical inspection and supervision In answer to a question it was stated that the officer usually appointed was the head of the police district. Mr. Rudd, I suppose we are the authority to make the appointment? Mr. Aryton: I don’t think we are. The London Board have power to appoint an officer, but here (referring to the section) it only says that the justices shall direct their officer., After some further remarks, Mr. Whitwell said it was distinctly set forth to be their duty to carry out the powers vested in them, and he suggested, with the view of obviating the difficulty they were in, that Mr. Clarkson, the police superintendent of the district, be appointed and that there clerk gave him written authority. This was considered by Mr. Theodore Fox and Mr. Rudd the best course they could adopt, and this was then agreed to.