INQUIRY INTO ALLEGED NEWS DELAY OPENS: KAKA CRASH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22822, 17 December 1948, Page 6

INQUIRY INTO ALLEGED NEWS DELAY OPENS: KAKA CRASH

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 16. The commission of inquiry into the circumstances relating to the release of information to the public regarding the recovery of the bodies and the finding of the aircraft Kaka, which crashed on October 23 on Mount Ruapehu, was opened today.

In particular, the commission will inquire whether there was any undue or improper withholding of information or restrictions placed on the press representatives involved at the site of the rescue and search headquarters in and around Ohakune and, if so. upon whose directions.

Sir Harold Johnston. K.C., presided Mr. T P Cleary appeared for the Crown. Mr W E. Leicester for the New Zealand Journalists’ Association, and Mr. J F. B. Stevenson for the New Zealand Newspaper Proprietors’ Association.

Scope of Inquiry

The commission is asked to determine and report upon the following matters:—

1. Whether having regard to all conditions and circumstances surrounding the finding of the aircraft and the recovery of the bodies from it there was any undue or improper withholding of information from or the imposition of any undue or improper restrictions upon press reporters in obtaining information and photographs for the purpose of publication bv the newspapers they re presented? 2. If so, bv whose orders or directions was such information withheld or restrictions imposed? 3. Whether arising out of the inquiry it is expedient or practicable to lay down anv general principles as to the privileges or freedom or obligations of the press in similar circumstances?

The commission is to present its report to the acting Prime Minister, Mr. W. Nash, not later than December 31.

Mr. Clearv, recalling the circumstances of the accident, said the aircraft went missing on October 23 and the wreckage was found on the morning of Friday. October 29. On the morning of October 30 a Press Association message was published throughout New Zealand alleging that a system of almost wartime secrecy had been imposed on the previous day upon the activities of journalists in and about Ohakune. Denial by Mr. Nash. Following on that message, said Mr. Cleary, a denial was made by the act-ing-prime Minister of the allegations it contained but in the following week much publicity was given to the matter throughout the country, statements were made on behalf of the New Zealand Journalists’ Association and the question was taken up in the House. On behalf of the Government a promise was given that a full inquiry would be made into the allegations It was obvious that the inquiry embraced two phases of activity. There was first of all what took place in Wellington from where all operations were directed and, secondly, there was what took place near Ohakune where work in tho field went on.

When the aircraft went missing the nerve centre in the work of search and rescue was Air Traffic Control, A section of the Civil Aviation Branch of the Air Department. Air Traffic Control was the centre to which went all reports from searching aircraft or the police or others, and where all information was collated and valued. In order to handle and control such a heavy volume of air traffic and deal with the great number of reports it became necessary to set up a separate search and rescue operations room, equipped with staff and telephones, etc. The decision to set up an operations room was made on the morning of Tuesday, October 26, and by 5.30 p.m. it was equipped and functioning, said Mr. Cleary.

Temporary Provision

While the room was being set up it was necessary to make some temporary provision for supplying the press with information, but once the room was set up an officer was placed there at a separate table with a separate telephone and his duty was to deal with press interviews and press inquiries. He remained there until after the wreckage had been discovered. Mr. Cleary said he mentioned that feature because one of the complaints by the Journalists’ Association was as to the difficulty of obtaining information during that day (October 26) when the room was being set up. The sole cause of any difficulty was a temporary dislocation while the room was being set up and upon a better arrangement being made not only were there bcttei facilities for conducting the search but also for providing the press with information.

On the morning of Thursday, Octobei 28, instructions were given in the operations room that in the event of wreckage being discovered no information was to be released for broadcasting until there had been an opportunity oi personally advising the next-of-kin of the occupants of the aircraft, said Mr Cleary. He had been instructed that the direction had been issued at the instance of the two Ministers particularly concerned with the departments conducting the search, namely, the act-ing-Prime Minister, who was Ministei in charge of the Police Department, and the Minister of Defence, who was Minister in charge of Air Department. He imagined, said Mr. Cleary, that that was a course which everyone would agree should be taken. Entries in Log. Mr. Cleary said in the operations room there was a log kept in which messages and reports and a record of activities generally were kept. On the day of the discovery of the wreckage there was an entry at 8.40 a.m. of a message from a Dakota reporting that it had sighted what might be wreckage on the south-western slopes of Mount Ruapehu. Following the receipt of that message instructions were given for a closer inspection by a lighter aircraft, an Auster which took off from Karioi. A message was received from the Auster. The entry time was 10.05 a.m. The message stated that the Auster had sighted the wreckage of the aircraft on the southwest slopes'of Ruapehu about 1000 feet from the summit. Further messages were received later. He drew attention to the entries, said Mr. Cleary, because the Press Association message to which he referred earlier had stated that the aircraft was discovered at 8.40 a.m., a fact which was immediately known to Air Control, but that no information was given until after an announcement by Mr. Nash in the House after 10.30 a.m.

The’implication was that the information, which was available from 9.40 a.m., was held up for two hours so that the first announcement could be rnado in the House.

He would suggest said Mr. Cleary, that it was clear from the log entry, and it would be confirmed by witnesses, that what was reported at 8.40 a.m. was that something was sighted which might be aircraft wreckage. Delayed For Verification,

“Until verified, it would have been dangerous and wrong that that should have been made the basis for notifiying next-of-kin of the occupants of the plane in view of the fact that it might, as did many previous reports received, turn out to be unfounded. In fact, it was only after 10 o’clock that the various authorities concerned were notified,” said Mr. Cleary. Mr. Cleary said another item in the log to which attention should be drawn was an entry at 2.45 p.m. recording a message from the deputy-Dircctor of Civil Aviation that the police at Ohakune should be instructed that on the authority of the Prime Minister’s Department, before any information was given out on the results of the ground party’s operations details

should first be given to the National Airways Corporation and the actingPrime Minister. The message passed to the Ohakune police was that the Prime Minister’s Department had instructed Air Department that any information regarding the recovery of the bodies, etc., should not be given out until given to the acting-Prime Minister. That message was phoned to the Ohakune police at 3.10 p.m. on October 29. Only Instruction Given. Mr. Cleary said that was the only instruction given to or by a Government department to any of the Government departments concerned in the operations around Ruapehu that could be construed as authorising the withholding of information. Mr. Cleary said that on the Thursday steps were taken to ensure that relatives were advised before the information was given out. When the message got to Ohakune it was communicated to nobody and investigations up to the present had completely failed to show that the message originated in or was authorised by the Prime Ministers Department, as it was purported to have been authorised. Describing the second phase, Mr. Cleary detailed the actions taken to organise the search and described the difficulties under which they were condueled. (Proceeding).