A MILITARY INQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1919, Page 6

A MILITARY INQUIRY.

THE PROCEDURE CRITICISED.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday.

Following the court of inquiry into the allegations by Malcolm Nicol MeCready of neglect by the Defence- Department, McCready made complaint as to the method in which the inquiry was conducted.

The president of the court, Colonel Ward, has furnished a report in which he deals with the complaints specifically and concludes that the court fully realised the seriousness, delicacy and difficulties of the case and therefore gave it the most careful, unhurried and impartial hearing possible. If McCready, or anyone else, it prepared to produce evidence such as would materially alter, not to say reverse, the finding of the court it would practically mean convicting several of the apparently perfectly credible and unbiassed witnesses of conspiracy and perjury, yet there appears not the faintest motive on earth for any one 01 them to have told anything else than the truth. Nevertheless, McCready «sat through two whole day sittings of the court, encouraged to ask any questions either of witnesses or of the court and anything he desired to say sympathetically listened to, but he never even hinted that there was anyone who could support his story as against its entire refutation by »everal witnesses examined and against liis own written statement of February l\, 1916.