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Halifax Disaster Record Office
Chronicle Building
Halifax, N.S.
December 27, 1918

Journal
The Minister of Marine, who has under his particular jurisdiction the administration of not only marine but naval affairs will be in the City today. The people of Halifax trust that he will deal with this question at once. They expect him to recognize that public safety demands that there shall be instituted, at the earliest possible moment, a searching inquiry, which shall go to the root of the whole matter and determine the responsibility of the officials under his control. To that end, we urge Mr. Justice Drysdale, whose competency to deal with this matter none will gainsay, should be clothed immediately with plenary powers to investigate every phase of the matter, not only what was done or left undone by the Government's officials, on the morning of December 6th, but the whole question of traffic and pilotage regulations in the harbor of Halifax.
Hon. Mr. Ballantyne, we venture to say, will earn the confidence of the whole public if he takes action at once to impower Mr. Justine Drysdale to persue the inquiry to the limit, along the lines we have been urging. An inquiry by a board of departmental officials or by a court composed by naval officers will not suffice. The seriousness of this matter, both for the present and for the future of Halifax, calls for an investigation before an impartial judge in whose competency and ability to ascertain the essential facts the public have full confidence.