LAUNCH FOR TOURISTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 57, 18 February 1927, Page 7

LAUNCH FOR TOURISTS

THE RECENT COMPLAINT. aunister’sTtatement. Wellington, Feb. 16. Asked whether’ his attention had been called to a leading article in tho “Otago Daily Times” of February 11, entitled “A Lame Apologia, ’’ the tion, W. Nosworthy, Minister in charge of the Tourist Department, said he had seen the article and desired to make certain comments upon it. "1 noticed,” said the Minister, “that tlie statement 1 made to the press ill Christchurch on the 9th inst., which forma the busis of tho Dunedin journal s criticism, was sent out by the Press Association and puolisiied by the 'Times’ with the following sentence omitted: "it is diilicult to understand wny when the launch did not put in an appearance, some attempt was not made to land a party in the ship’s bouts, at he was luloniied that the weather was calm.’ ’fhe omission was important as lie was still of opinion that if blamo was attributable to anyone it must rest on the shoulders of the Union iSteani Ship Company, The inauager s report shows that the Mueraki did not proceed further into Millord Sound than Sterling Falls. Anyone, who knew the distance and direction ol Sterling Falls trom the Sundllv Huts would realise that it would be practically impossible for the.ships signals to be heard from that position. Tile men, after waiting on the sound for fifteen hours uo the date of the expected arrival, had gone ashore. They could hardly he expected to remain cruising about day and night indefinitely, and I am disposed to believe tbeir statement that the signals were not beard, notwithstanding the ungenerous suggestion of the "Times” that such a statement was unworthy of acceptance. Captain Hamilton, a pertoctlv independent authority who was camped at Sutherland, heard only one detonator. Had tho ship goiie to the usual stopping place at Bowen Fails she would have been plainly visible from Sutherland and the whole trouble would have been avoided.”