Defence of Dr Featherstone.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1686, 14 July 1875, Page 2

Defence of Dr Featherstone.

(BY TELEGRAPH FROM DUNEDINJ

(From our Own Correspondent.)

This day.

Mr. John Cargill, writing to the Guardian, says all right-minded men must agree with the writer in the Argus, who says that the abuse heaped on Sir Julius Vogel in his absence is a disgrace to journalism, but asks should not the same rule be extended to Dr. Featherston, and combats the Guardian's accusation thus—"You accuse Dr. Featherstone of flagrant dereliction of duty in introducing shipload after shipload of the halt, the lame and blind, and that disease, whether mental or physical, has not been deemed a disqualification, but the contrary, and that it is notorious that lunatics and imbeciles have been wilfully and knowingly forwarded at the expense of the colony, and you further state that his conduct of emigration affairs has been marked by almost crimint.l neglect. No one acqnainted with Dr. Featherston's business capacity, and his zealous discharge of all public duties, but will be slow to believe in such sweeping accusations, and even those who do not know him will feel the justice of withholding their judgment until his correspondence or explanations are before them. Dr Featherston was directed by the Government to send out 25,000 emigrants during the six months succeeding his receipt of the order sent him. He did so ; and I doubt if there is a man in the colony who would have accomplished the task in so satisfactory a manner. No_ similar number of emigrants was ever shipped in a few vessels as well provisioned, or with so low a sick and death rate. This is an admitted fact by all those who are qualified to give an opinion on the subject, such as her Majesty's Land and Emigration Commissioners, and firms lin^ engaged in the conveyance of emigrants to the various colonies. That occasionally a lunatic, and often a neer-do-well is smuggled off by their friends to be taken care of by the colonists is a circumstance not confined to the emigration conducted by the Agent-G-eneral. Old colonists will bear me out that during the whole emigration from the commencement of this settlement to date, lunatics and other undesirable persons have been shipped out with the emigrant;, and in proportionally as large numbers as recently. If the matter is looked at impartially, I think we have no reason to be dissatisfied with the average quality of the emigrants sent out by the Agent-General, and judging from the official reports of other provinces, some have arrived at the same conclusion. Mr Cargill concludes by stating, "I appeal to your sense of fair play to extend the same consideration to Dr. Featherston as you called upon people to do towards Sir Julius vogel, and for the samejreasons,"