HC Deb 03 July 1907 vol 177 cc683-4
MR. GRETTON

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will lay upon the Table a copy of the agreement recently concluded between Messrs. Kynoch's and His Majesty's Government.

(Answered by Mr. Secretary Gladstone.) The terms, which I stated to the House on Thursday last, are as follows:—Messrs. Kynoch undertook—

  1. (1) to withdraw their appeal to the High Court and accept the decision of the Essex Quarter Sessions.
  2. (2) to write a letter to the Chief Inspector of Explosives undertaking not to use mercuric chloride or any ingredient which has a masking effect on the Abel heat test, and generally to observe the terms of their licences.
  3. (3) to indicate the explosives now under seizure in magazines which contain mercury, and to hand them over to the inspectors, to be ultimately dealt with as the committee appointed jointly by the War Office and the Home Office may recommend.
On the other hand I agreed —
  1. (1) that the cases now pending against Messrs. Kynoch shall be withdrawn.
  2. (2) that all explosive not containing mercury shall be released.

(Answered by Mr. John Burns.) The information desired is given in the following Table—

(3) that the magazines required by Messrs. Kynoch for trade purposes shall be cleared by concentrating the seized explosive in such place or places as may be approved by the Chief Inspector.