The Clutha Leader.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 4, 30 July 1874, Page 2

The Clutha Leader.

THURSDAY JTOY 30* 1874.

Op Sill the questions of public policy 1 which at present 'attract Attention it ' it may' safely be said that no one is being" so fully discussed, and upon no * one is public opinion so unanimous as the one of, immigration. That attention is being- specially given to this subject at the present time may easily be accounted for from the fact of the ' almost . daily arrival in the Colony of vessels with large numbers of immigrants, and the reports which appear of these in the public prints. The almost universal decision upon the subject, as we believe, is that the administration of this branch of our "noble policy of , colonisation " has hitherto been faulty in the extreme. The unanimity of the opinion on the part of -the public is no doubt the result of the application of i plain common sensjg to the. full and impartial- information which . has been . "afforded alike to all. But here the very important question arises, viz,, who is. to blame for the mismanagement ' which has occurred in the carrying out , of the immigration policy ? J Upon this question a very wide and varied difference of opinion exists both on the part r of the Legislature and also the public. Perhaps the great majority are ready to I lay the entire blame at the door of the i Agent-General in England. With 9 such we do not agree.- • That he li-.s 1 been to blame — grossly ta blame is true, ! but not to such an extent as- the Legisl lature and the Government here. To 0 establish this proposition wi'l necesi' sitate a review of the whole history of .» the question, and the part taken by the 1 various, actors therein. The space at '; our command will admit of our doin»- --!» little; morej than merely opening jr.tlie ■] subject in this issue. • » We have said. the Legislature" are k blameable. To establish this we must '• remind our readers of the circumstances ;> under which the subject was? first in- : augurated. When-the present Premier I ■ promulgated his great policy of public >. works and immigration, he distinctly c stated that the success of the former de» '.> pended entirely upon the latter, and [he ' promised to bring down a well digested £ scheme of immigration during the scsi sion to prove to hon. members tliat it f was impossible for the latter to fail. » Many were so dazzled with the brilliancy 0 of the mighty conception, and so en--1 chanted with the glowing- pictures the \ originator presented t-o their gaze of the t future glory and greatness to which the I country would arrive through the carry- ; ing out of his schemes, that they were . ready to fall down and worship him, j, believing his intellect to be something- . more tlian human. These were ready, £ of course to leave the carrying out of ', ;the new policy entirely in his bands. i; ; The Premier saw his opportunity and embraced it; he asked for the necesb sary votes of millions; obtained them, \ and sent the members about their busi- ; ness, But what of the well-devised & scheme of immigration upon which the •j prosperity or ruin of the country dei pended ? It. was never either prepared !; or submitted! It was the duty of every i member to see and fully consider it and |j satisfy himself that it, could not prove other than a success before he voted one c penny towards the great public works. I Their not doing so was a clear, a monstrous dereliction of the duty they owed , their constituents, and but for this neg- * lect much of the mismanagement and y extraordinary waste of public money ; which afterwards occurred would have - been prevented. It is well known Dr. f Featherston was sent home without any • scheme or instructions upon which he [ could act, and the matter was allowed \ to drift into any channel it might .find, j I He knew nothing of the business, but J had the Assembly seen that he was fur- » nished with a proper scheme. which . could not fail of success, then he could I have acted upon it to the satisfaction i of the country. Here then was the s commencement of the carelessness and j recklessness of which we have heard so :i much in connection with immigration, and it was upon the part of the members.of Assembly, the representatives T . of the people. We are, bound to say J no one of them would have made such i a gross omission in connection with \ their own private affairs, .and yet in r acting for the public apparently ; imagined they had fully performed • their duty. -„'■••' In future articles we shall pursue the 3 subject as opportunity occurs. .. ■- \