AIR ACCIDENTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 136, 25 June 1937, Page 19

AIR ACCIDENTS

-Press Assocjation.)

Reason for Holding Private Inquiry OBTAINING FULL DETAILS

(By Teiograph-

WELLINGTON, La»t;Night. The reasons for the inquiry into the aviation accident at Big Bay on Deceinber 31 being held in private Were explained by the . Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, in a statement to-riighc. . He said. that, the question .had ;bee.u carefully considered and it was felt thiit the full facts concerning an accident could bestj,e ascertained by taking the proceedings in private. His only concern Wa9 to see that in the publie intei- , est the full facts were ascertained, aird that in doing so no-one was placed in an nnfavourable position because he was required to give evidence. Referring to a Press Association measage from Invercargill concerning an application by the counsel for the Air Department that the inquiry be held in private, Mr. tfones said that, as far as he himself or the Department was, concerned, there was no reason why an i inquiry should not bp puBliC. The matter had been very carefully considered ; both by himself and the Air Board, and j it was considered that, as the interests | of aviation ih New Zealand must be j the paramount consideration, the : full i facts concerning an accident could best 1 be ascertained by a private inquiry. A ! board of inquiry was no$ ih the . same 1 position as an .ordinary Gourt ih that it was to make recommendations ohly and I was not empowefed to impose penaltics 1 such as was the case, for exaMple, in a marino inquiry. j "As the application by counsel and • the subsequent discussion have beeu very fully reported, " said the Minister, i "I think it fair to add that my onljf ' reasons for requesting a private inqdiry were:— "(l) To enable ail possible evidence as to the canse of the accident to be pro- ' duced so that action can be taken to see !' that similar aecidents of the Sapie kind may be avoided in future and "(2) That no party to the ihquiry, 'such as a pilot of a machine, shohld posJ sibly hhve his standing as a pilot impaired because of the fact that he is tequired to give evidence at the inquiry. "J feel that a board of inquiry, such as this, which is to investigate and report on an accident and to include in, its report observations and recommendations with a view to the preservation of life and the avoidance of similar aecidents in the futufe shoiild be afforded an opportunity of obtaining possession of all relevant facts from witnesses. "As soon as the report of the board has been received and considered a full statement will be issued to the publie.'5 I .. ...