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2. Compressed gases;
3. Substances which become dangerous by interaction with water or air;
4. Substances giving off inflammable vapour.
5. Corrosive substances;
6. Substances which give off a poisonous gas or vapour;
7. Strong supporters of combustion;
8. Miscellaneous merchandise, which seems to include all combustible
substances.
65. Listed under Category 8 is "excelloid scrap or waste" which the Marine Department regards as a proprietory term which would possibly cover the nitro- cellulose film scrap stored in the Wing On Godown. Although in many ways a peculiarly dangerous substance, a danger which is recognized by the existence of special legislation in regard to its storage, celluloid as far as the classification in the Dangerous Goods Ordinance is concerned is correctly placed in Category 8 as it is normally very stable, is not explosive, has a flash point above 150°F., is not corrosive, and does not support combustion. Its danger lies in the fact that once inflamed, it burns so much more fiercely and violently than cotton or felt or rubber or any of the other substances in this category. In this of course lies the reason why it is the subject of a special ordinance and regulations.
66. We consider that the interpretation by the Fire Brigade of the dangerous goods in the various categories is in some respects surprisingly rigid. For instance, during the course of the inquiry, it became clear that until the time of the fire Caustic Soda was not regarded as a dangerous substance, and then attention was only drawn to it by the purely fortuitous discovery that some of the Caustic Soda stored in Godown No. 5 contained as an impurity metallic sodium, a Category 3 substance. Caustic Potash, the chemical properties of which are almost identical with Caustic Soda, is listed in Category 5, which also refers to "other corrosive substances", and yet the simple deduction that Caustic Soda should be included among the latter had not been made. We recommend that the lists of substances in each category should be carefully checked up with the Government Chemist, not necessarily with a view to in- cluding every substance that might be included under each category, but rather with a view to excluding out-of-date proprietory names and including new ones which are of common occurrence in the Colony. Attention should be directed from time to time to keeping these names up to date. We consider that knowledge of elementary chemistry among some at least of the Senior Officers of the Fire Brigade is a neces- sity, if it is to carry out efficiently the duties with which it is charged.
Notification of the Arrival of Dangerous Goods in the Colony:
67. On arrival in the Colony the master of a ship carrying dangerous goods of any category other than 8 is required to notify the Director of Marine of their arrival, furnishing him with a true copy of the manifest of the dangerous goods. He is not required to notify the Director of Marine of the arrival of celluloid or cinematograph film. An inherent difficulty is that he is expected to know what are dangerous goods by Hong Kong law, as there is no recognized international classification of dangerous goods. We were informed that it was the practice among reputable shipping com- panies or their agents to inform the Director of Marine about a week in advance, though there was no statutory provision to this effect. If goods are shown on mani- fests merely by some such general term as "chemicals", or deliberately misrepresented as is not infrequently the case, it is exceedingly difficult to provide the Director of Marine with accurate information. There are numerous regulations prescribing how the goods shall be disposed of. In general, with the exception of Category 1 goods, about which there are special regulations, all dangerous goods must be landed at the place "adjoining or nearest to the premises licensed for the storage of such goods” and must be moved to those premises by the shortest route "with all reasonable speed". A legitimate complaint from the Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade was that before he could investigate premises for improper storage of dangerous goods, or celluloid or cinematograph films, both ordinances prescribe that he must have “reasonable grounds" for search. As he had little knowledge of the movement of dangerous goods, it was