COURT OF ENQUIRY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11752, 5 February 1918, Page 5

COURT OF ENQUIRY

TO DETERMINE RESPONSIBILITY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, Last Night. A Court of Inquiry to determine Ithe responsibility (of Colonel Patterson, O.C. of the District, and Major Osborne Lilly, in respect to the Motuihi escape, opened to-day. Colonel C. R. MacDouald, who was General Staff Officer at Auckland when the Motuihi camp was established in October of 1914, stated that at first the island was Tinder tho control of tho district, but owing to the press of work the control was handed over to tho Coast Defence Commander, who was subject to the general control of the District. Tho Commandant of the Island was responsible to the Defence Commander, but the District Headquarters had the right to interfere if it felt in any way dissatisfied fwith the on th'o island. All matters affecting the iguard <and gendrrtl djontrol came under the district, but routine matters went direct to and from Wellington. The original letter of instructions to Jiieutenant-Colonol Turner contained a paragraph which was struck out at Headquarters, Wellington, to the effect that all administrative correspondence was to be addressed to the District Headquarters. Witness considered tho O.C. of the District was responsible for the safeguarding of the prisoners, ■ Mr Baiuford produced a letter from Colonel Patterson to the Headquarters, Wellington, recommending that tho guard be increased, that the two naval officers recently interned be removed and placed, by themselves, and that aliens he prohibited from visiting prisoners. Lieutenant-Colonel Turner, in evidence, supplementary to that at the first court, said that he was responsible for Colonel Patterson's letter regarding the guard. Tie had made a verbal request to Major Walker before the paragraph wan excised from the letter oi instructions. Colonel Pilkington was then Adjutant-Jfieneral, and he consulted Major Robin. Witness never considered himself under the officer commanding the district.