THE BARRIER TRAGEDY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1547, 2 May 1887, Page 3

THE BARRIER TRAGEDY

Regarding the petition which has been presented to Parliament asking for compenßition for the loss of the cutter Sovereign of Ihe Seas, a southern contemporary saya :— Mr Monk, the member for Waittmata has not been long m making hia mark as a politician. He has, indeed, already proved himself to be worthy to represent an Auokiand constituency and a, fit associate for the bulk of the men whom he will meet 'n Wellington political circles. YesUrday that gentleman preaented a petition to Parliament from the oirnera of the Sovereign of the Seaß, praying that Parliament would award them £500 m consideration of the loss they sustained through the wreck of that veraei. The petitioners deem the Government responsible for the loes of the vesael because the steamer that they sent m pursuit was too slow to oatch her. This is very delicious. In any case, of course, the Government are not responsible for the less of the vessel, which was In the custody of men employed by the owners. They sent the Hteimer for the culprits, not for tha vessel Besides, m alleging that the government are responsib'e because the steamer was too slow to catch their vescel, ihe petitioners' fehow tbat they should be panished because their vessel vr?i bo fast that the Bteamer could not overtake her, and because they were therefore pat lies to the escape cf the murderers to ihe shores of Außtralia. 1 hey are, moreover, guilty of having given tbeir vessel Into the charge of murderous ecoundrjls, and for the eircurmranoe that tbe murderers went to the ec^ne of slaughter m their vessel. Jt is highly probable that, had the murderers not beea placed m charge of the vessel by the owners, the murder of poor Taylor would not have ooourred, and the colony would not have been put to the trouble and expense of bringing the raurderera to justice. Tried, therefore, on the principle laid down by the petltiorei* themselves m their p.lea foe competßa^lpn, they are responsible ' for the Bar j|es Island sawder.