SCENE IN COURT

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 22, 18 August 1932, Page 3

SCENE IN COURT

HARBOURMASTER AND CORONER ACTION CONDEMNED BY WITNESS PROTEST TO MINISTER OF JUSTICE TIMARU, Wednesday.—An unprecedented incident occurred today at the coronial inquiry into the death of a girl at Timaru from ;;hcck fciiowing prolonged immersion in the ocean. A witness at the conclusion of the evidence delivered a statement condemning the action of the coroner (Mr. A. L. Gee) in commenting on the actions of a witness wiiose evidence had not been heard.

The witness was the harbourmaster, Captain D. McDougall, who gave ah account of the part he played in the affair. He stressed the time he received the message that the girl was in difficulties and his subsequent actions in going to the rescue. McDougall said the total time from when he left the office to when the girl was brought ashore was 25 minutes. McDougall criticised the action of another witness who gave evidence at the hearing the previous day. McDougall said the man "had the impertinence to state what the harbourmaster should have done."

The coroner rebuked McDougall for making personal comment. Later McDougall criticised statements made earlier in the hearing regarding delay in the despatch of a boat. The coroner interjected that no more nonsense would be tolerated. McDougall slated what should have been dene by the people going out in the boat from the'beach. The Coroner: You were not in the boat, it does not matter what you would have done.

McDougall: I don't know whether you are dense or whether I am, but to me that reads sense. The Coroner: You have to treat the court with proper respect. I will not have you talk to me like that. At a later stage the coroner commenting on the rescue, expressed appreciation of the work of fishermen. Mr. McDougall asked permission to make a statement. The coroner consented and McDougall commenced to read when he was interrupted by the coroner. McDougall paid scant attention and hammered the table in an endeavour to make himself heard. He asked permission to make a statement, in regard to talk—appearing in the Press as emanating from the Coroner's Court—threatening censure which McDoungall claimed was aimed at him. In.his opinion this was neither justice nor British fairplay. He read that the Chief Justice at Timaru recently had laid down certain rules for coroners' courts and McDougall desired to enter an emphatic protest that the coroner should be allowed to malign anyone by innuendo or otherwise prior to his evidence being heard. The Coroner: You cannot make any protest here. If you are not careful I shall have you taken into custody. McDougall was informed by the coroner that he could protest to the Minister of Justice, and McDougall said he would do so. Giving his verdict that the girl died of shock following prolonged immersion, the coroner said he thought a little time'might have been saved it the harbourmaster had gone straight out in a boat. He would not say it would have been sufficient to save the girl's life, but there was just the barest possibility that it might have clone so. No doubt the harbourmaster, acted in the way he thought best, especially in view of the fact that he had had various false alarms.