THE S.S. KAKANUI.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 998, 17 April 1891, Page 27

THE S.S. KAKANUI.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Dunedin, April 14At the Kakanui enquiry, W. Elder, chemist, who had despatched previous expeditions to the Islands, said the Kakanui was a good boat, oven in rough weather. He would bavo gone down to the Islands in her even though she had been more deeply laden. Still he thought she ought not to have been despatched thither, and he told Fraser bo before the boat left.

William Belcher, able seaman, who had been at the Macquariies on two occasions, said had he been a sailor on the Kakanui he would have left her when he knew she was being despatched to the Macquarries. The vessel was unsuitable to cope with the weather in those latitudes. Her great danger was from the sea coming on board when running before the wind. If it did so she had no ebanoe of recovering herself. His opinion was a heavy sea got aboard and put her fires out, and she foundered.

Mr Edgar, manager of the New Zealand Insurance Company, said ‘bis declining a share of the re insurance to the full amount had nothing whatever to do with the vessel’s unseaworthiness.

Mr Fergus said, individually, he had nothing beyond bis vote in the Cabinet to do with despatching the KakaDui. The quostion of sending relief to the islands was submitted to the Minister of Marine by witness, and was considered in Cabinet, and it was unanimously ageeed to send relief. The matter was brought before the Cabinet on a communication handed in by the Under Secretary of Marine, and was handed to him in the temporary absence of Sir H. Atkinson. He did not know bow far he could reveal what the Under Secretary remarked. Mrs MfcUish recalled, said the food Mr Hatch himself ate was not old stores, but what he brought down. The men he landed were fed off the stores left by Ijjie Hinemoa. '*£ The inquiry was then adjourned to Thursday, for the production of Government papers to show the Under Secretary’s recommendation.