Inquiry into Alleged Obstruction of Press At Ruapehu Disaster

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26957, 17 December 1948, Page 6

Inquiry into Alleged Obstruction of Press At Ruapehu Disaster

PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 16. $ An investigation into the circumstances relating to the Telease of information to the public about the finding of the Electra aircraft Kaka, which crashed on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu on October 23, and the subsequent recovery of the bodies of the passengers and crew, was begun to-day by a Commission of Iriquiry consisting ,of . Sir Harold jphnston, K.C. The commission is to inquire whether " there was any .dhdue or improper withholding of public information or if restrictions were placed on press representatives and, if so, upon whose directions. It is required to report not later than December 31. The case for the Crown is being taken first. To-day was occupied with the opening address by its counsel, Mr T. P. Cleary, and the hearing of evidence from several of the Crown witnesses. The inquiry will be continued to-morrow.

Mr Cleary, 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 war-time secrecy had been imposed the previous day upon the activities of journalists in and about Ohakune. Following on that message, said Mr Cleary, a denial was made by the Acting Prime Minister, Mr Nash, of the allegations it contained, but in the following week much publicity was given 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. Central Field Activity

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 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 about the middle of Saturday morning eight or ten pressmen arrived at the area known as the Plateau but were not permitted by Senior Sergeant Taylor to go any further. They had no food, most were not equipped, they had no guide and the track was being used by parties bringing the bodies down. The pressmen were at the Plateau for several hours, during which time several incidents took place. That was the first place at which the journalists complained of obstruction.

Mr Cleary said that the people engaged in the operations on the mountainside and adjacent areas worked at considerable pressure, many without food or sleep, for long intervals. Into that scene came 45 pressmen, and it would be surprising if incidents did not develop that showed too much insistence on one rddp *md too much strain on the other.' Adrian Wilfred Hayman, area controller of Air Traffic Control Wellington, said he was unaware of any obstructions to journalists in the search and rescue operations room. No Premature Release On October 28 he received a message from the Director of Civil Aviation, Mr E. A. Gibson, saying that care should be taken that there was no premature release of the discovery of the wreckage and instructing him to ensure that the Prime Minister’s Department was advised beforehand. Mr Gibson had further clarified the request by explaining that it was most necessary that identification should be accurate in order that next-of-kin could be notified through the Prime Minister’s Department.

It was obvious that the inquiry embraced two phases of activity. There was, first of all, what took place in Wellington, from where all the operations were directed, and, secondly, there • was what took place in the vicinity of Ohakune. where the work'in the 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 the reports, whether from the searching aircraft, the police, or others, and where all the information was collated and valued. In order to handle and control such a heavy volume of air traffic, and to deal with the great number of reports it became necessary to set up a separate search and rescue operations room, equipped with a staff and telephones, etc. The decision to set up the 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. While the room was being set up it was necessary to make some temporaryprovision for supplying the press with information, but once the room was functioning an officer was placed there at a separate table, with a separate telephone, and his duty was to deal with press interviews and the 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 of difficulty in obtaining information during that day, October 26. The sole cause of any difficulty was the temporary dislocation while the room was being set up. and upon a better arrangement being made not only were there better facilities for conducting the search, but also for providing the press with information. On the morning of Thursday, October 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 of 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 Acting Prime Minister, who is Minister in Charge of _ the Police Department, and the Minister of Defence, who was also Minister m Charge of the Air Department. He imagined, said Mr Cleary, that that was a course with which, evervone would agree. Sighting of Wreckage Mr Cleary detailed the sighting of the wreckage by a Dakota and confirmation of this by an Auster. He said the charge was made that this fact was immediately known to Air Control, but- that no information was given until after the announcement by Mr Nash in the House after 10.30 a.m. He said the implication was that information which was available from 8.40 a.m. was held up for two hours so that the first announcement- could be made in the House. He would suggest, said Mr Cleary, that it was clear from the log entry that what was reported earlier was that something was sighted which might be aircraft wreckage. “Until verified, it would have been dangerous and wrong that that should have been made the basis for notifying The next-of-kin of the occupants of the plane.’’ said Mr Cleary. Mr Cleary said another item m the log to which attention should be drawn was an entry recording a message from the Deputy Director of Civil Aviation that the police at Ohakune should be instructed ffhat, 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 Acting Prime Minister. The message passed to the Ohakune police was .that the Prime Minister’s Department had instructed the