ABSTRACT
In making any assessment of Robert Angus Smith’s success as Inspector of the Alkali Inspectorate, it is important to gauge it against the backdrop of the situation that existed in July 1863 when the Royal Assent was given to the Alkali Act. This Act proved to be the first legislation to allow the incursion or interference of government into the workings of industry, and with it a change in government approach from laissez-faire to interventionist. The Treasury was resistant to paying realistic salaries for the inspection team; indeed it questioned the number of inspectors needed to provide coverage of the whole country. When Angus Smith was appointed Inspector there was no precedent for the inspection regime’s need to enforce the tight regulations that formed part of the legislation. It would be imperative to find a satisfactory working arrangement with manufacturers, who had, during the hearings of the Select Committee on Injury from Noxious Vapours in 1862, frequently expressed opposition to inspectors entering their premises and interfering with the operation of their plant. When he took up the post of Inspector Angus Smith must have felt a great weight of responsibility, given the very challenging and daunting situation lying ahead.
