HEARING OF PETITION

Chronicle (Levin), 19 September 1946, Page 7

HEARING OF PETITION

-Press Associaiion

3rd Dirision Vehicies

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. The cross-examinution of George Laing who ia seeking an iuquiry into the condition of inotor vehicies sont to the Third Division in the Paciile, wa? continued by niembern of the Defoncc Coinmiltee of the House of Iteprosentativca this morning. 'Iteplying to Mr. A. G. Osborne, Mr. Laing said his niemory niight havc mislod him in connection with some evi dcncii. To Ilon. F. Jones, Minister of Dofenee, lib said' he ' did not havo an\ evidence other tlmn \vhat he was told that the Governinefit was aware that the 'vehicies were sent overseas oecaiise they were mere easily dumpcd thero tirau in New Zealaud. He did riot boliove that thr.t was the decision of Parliament or the Government bu1 110 oue was "put 011 the spot " except those who had battled for good vehicies to be sont to the troops. To Mr. Peter Carr he said he still believed that those who were rcspousible for sending bad vehicies overseas were traitors Iteplying to Mr. T. L. Macdonahl, lu said he had made two written requests sis well as verbal requests, for the (indings reached by tlio War Cabinei Oominittee. ■ To Mr. J. A. Koy he said hc undcrstood 35 vehicies out of a shipment oi 7U sent overseas, were condemned be causo of mechanicul defects, and to Mr O. O. Ilarker he said dilferent men oi the Third Division had commentod to him ojj the condition oi' the veliiclet sent to New Caledonia. Mr. W. T. Arulerton: Did you examinc the vehicies 011 the wharf, which you .said were un(i.t for serviee? Mr. Laing: J did not trv many but those J did were very bad. Mr. Laing said, in a further replv, that U's gave inl'oniiation Lo a member of the Opposition, Mr. A. Hamilton, because he was a member of the War Cabinet Committee and in an cndeavour to .spiwil up an investigation. Mr. Anderton: Mr. Hamilton wotild have been fully aware of everything going ou as a member of the War Oabio et. Mr. Laing: I don't know. Mr Anderton: ite uould havo known the \ehicles were going. M/. Laing: Jle only knew ubout it who;- my uiemorauduin caine before the War Cabinet. I don 't know whai Mr. Hamilton know. Auswering Mr. P. G. Conuollv, he said three Armv ollicers who approachcd him gave him the impression they had explored a J 1 channels before they came to him. Mr. Laing said he bascd his elaim in the petition that a large proportion oi the vehicies were in a bad state, ou Ihe exaniination of scveu or oiglit. He made a suflicient inspectiou to satisfy himself but did not reeord the details because he never dreamed.the vehicies would be sent. The vehicies he cxamined had del'ective steering kingpins and hc considered if a vehicle were neglected in liiose essential.s 'there would be neglect elsewliere. He did not think Army vehicies required a war ra n l oi" fitness but they would not be safe 011 New Zeaiand roads and would not get a warrant of litness tOperate in tliis couiitrv. Ile li'id not • diseu^seil ,j.he_ inquiry .recentlv witli Mr Llenee'fcir ahhavYtfUea'tb a'pnear in news papers six days- before the start of the hearing of the present committee. In reply to the ••liairmnu, M r. K. M. MaefarLane, he said he did not makr any request at tbe War Cabinet hear-

ing for the lindings of the comiuittce but took it for granted he would be supplied witli tliem. He had nothing in writing to show how the vehicies i which wero sent oveiseas stood up to! couditions but he was told the Dodgej vehicies did not. ' . ■ Mr. T. P. Cleary 5 for- the Army Do-j partment., before calling evidence, said it was essential to -distinguish belween] three types of vehicies supplied to thoj. Army— iirstly, the heavy type known as (j x -i's; secondly, a ligliter type] known as I x -i's; and thirdly, tlio.' conunercial type of vehicies known as, 4 x U's which were not designed for! Army use. The Army was at no stagel short of ti x 4's. Mr. Laing 's complaint! was, Iirstly, that the commereial : vehicies 4 x 2's were supplied to the, Third Division when 4 x 4 s wero avuil-, ublo, and secondly, that i'aulty 4 x 2's; were supplied wheu new ones were: uvailable. Mr. Cleary said that at tlio; end of 11)42 4 x 4's wero just sturting' to arrive in New Zeaiand tor assemblyj and at ihe tinui when the Third Division saiied for New Caledonia, it had to take witli it a large number of 4i x 2's if it were to have its full eoinplemenl of vehicies. That position wasj acknowledged by Alajor-General Dar-i rowclough in a lelter written on ' (i/'2/4o. The Third Division took as many 4 x 2's as wero temporarily ueces-1 saty, replucing theiu with 4 x 4*s as; these came oi! the ussembly lines iiij New Zeaiand. Dofore the Division; saiied Army ollii-ers examined ull] vehicies in the Division transport poolj and discarded vehicies classed as un-! sorviceable, but it was necessary ati that stage to take . some_ commereial; vehicies which had done higli mileage. \ By the beginning of Feoruary thej position was so imprdvod that instruc-; tiuns were gi\en tliat 110 more commer-i cial vehicies shotild bo sent to Newy v'aledoiiia and thercafter only 4 x 4's were sent. liy the lime the Division 1 mo\ed to the i'orward area Jatcr that year, it was so well equipi^ed for Irans-j pori that it lcfl behind a number ofi suiqdus ti x i's and 4 x i's in New:' Caledonia. Mujor-General Barrow-j clough had certilied that at no time! were the 4 x 2 's ■ forwarded to thej Third1 Division in pteference tu -l x 4's.i Dealing with MivLuing's allcgntion j that many fauliy 4 x 2's were supplied! wliile new ones lav 011 the wharVes in' New Zeaiand, Mr. Cleary said the 480 trucks Mr. Laing had said were avuil- 1 able at the litiie were then actually in; the Pord factury iu crates. They had heen dainaged by salt wuter and proved. dillicult to assemble. Two Armv ol'icers had examined thcm and rejected theni as being uiechauicuUy unsuil-' able for tlie Army. They were parl of a shipment oblained by the New Zea-, land Bupply .Mission in the Cuitod1 Btates where they had been mauufac-; HiKi'd originally rof use in the Argen-j tine. They had been standing in snow! and rain 011 some quayside for monlhsf before they were shipped lo New Zea-j land and even had they been oi' a suit-j able type tlieir assembly, which would i have been a slow process 011 aceount' of the weather daiuage, could have! been carried out only by dolaying' work ou the 4 x 4's which the Division* urgeutly needed. [ Hrigadier II. E. Avery, who was! Quartennaster-Ceueriil at the timo Mr. ! Laing's complaints were made, said! Alr. Laing's lettor to the Primc Min-j ister of 1/4/40 was sent to Army Head-j quarters by Mr. Fraser for a repor.t.j The then Chiof of Btafl.', Gencral Put-i tick, expressed complete cuniideucc in lirigadier Avery as Quarternmster- ! Geueral, coinplained of the extrava-i gaut language in .Mr. Laing's charges' agaiiist the Army, and suggested to the' .Prime Minister that somelhing shouldj be done to stup such extraordinary I atlacks. | Hrigadier Avery, amptifying AI r. Cleary 's explanation couceining the lb6, trucks which Mr. Laing had claimedj were-in new and sorviceable condition,; said the 4815 were portiou of 700 order-| ed by the New Zeaiand Bupply Mission. i Army ollicers who examined ihe trucks; found ouly 214 suitable. On 10/12/42 the New Zeaiand Bupply Council was asked for disposal instructions for tliO; reinaining 48(i and in March, 1010, the Vehicies Disposal Board which had: been erealed meanwliile, gave instruc-, tions that these vehicies should be assembled ready for disposal, not by the Army but by ihe Board. Mr. : Laing's inference that these vehicies! were declared surplus by the Army; merely to enable the Ford Company to' sell them to the public, was entirely; groundless. ! The hearing will continue tomorrow. j