AIR INQUIRY.

Feilding Star, Volume 7, Issue 2243, 26 June 1929, Page 7

AIR INQUIRY.

COMMITTEE'S CRITICISM

LIEUT. CLAUS REPLY

DEFENCE OF MCWILLIAMS

(Aust. and N.Z. Cable) Sydney, June 2o

.■Replying to the Air Inquiry Commutee’s criticism of the ilight of the Southern Cross, Flight-Lieu t. Ulm states -

“The finding on my evidence, especially with regard to the conditions of tlio crew and the reference to the diary, brands us all as liars, and indicates that the committee went outside the scope of the committee to deal with my diary. The only witnesses who hud any knowledge of what they were talking about were Ivingsford Smith, McWilliams. Litchfield and myself. The diary is true and accurate in every respect. We have complete faith in MeA\ illianis as a wireless operator. ' Ills own Government has that faith, despite the criticism of: certain experts, and we will carry on with him confident that. li e will give -300 per cent. eJlicteney on his job. The only way anyone could satisfy himself that I did not exaggerate the account of our weakened condition at Coffee Koyal would have been to see us on the spot. Jtegarding the weather reports, the Director of Civil Aviation has since told us that he would have left for Wyndliam on the information We lotd available.