Editorial.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 62, 16 September 1875, Page 6

Editorial.

that, wrhen . /Sic aulwsvybgel^ introduce^ his ' t^u^lici Wdric^ tc^k^fie! impressupon the/'rneflbberao^ Assembly tharaiPhis^cul^^jvj^jd^? jbf sn& cesSjWew base!d and'eonti^gent upon the suco^ssfuP conduct of a large scheme of immigration. H^large'fnyftnjber ofMo, proper". . class < of • immigrants rfrbm the noni«-cotintry yr&*f in^o^uced^nto.the cou?^, .thefi he i WnticiDaidHiite .public works scheme would ibe a 'success j if not^tjypuld inevitaShr ptoye ai -failiire, Thia? anticipation was ' generally ; concursed in, not only by the legislature butsflsp"by^e A Jre,ople._ Yet,'.fipfwitKstaiKttbgr::the momentous -results which; depended : npon tJie-iromigr^tion scheme; we 'are' bound ib 'say" that v no" public business of this> or any other country wa? tirpf more reckless! j entered v pon or nfioreinefficiently carried : 6u£ . On a former oj^asion ire^pbinted^ put the uulpab^lii^r! oJjT Jtfte/' 'representatives of .the £e6ple, ; in allowing liiemselves to be ooawinked and 7 deceived by the thep Premier into voting siiins both for public works and immigration, while they, wertirr utter ignorance as to tiie L m aitifef iii Whicti these were to be" expended. They^.had'his numerous: pledged that an efficient scheme of. immigration,would'be' laid before them for consideration, bat haying got the totes he ]md thus the, power he soiighi^and all bis pledgßS he treated with'epntei^pt, as also did he the femonßtrances of honorable members, who knewTthiat while Sir Julius was; great in schemes, in .administrative ability, he was-tfs helpless as a child. - No one ' can .take an ; intelligent view of ; the- administration of .tnev.immigratipn policy, of the* country for the past few years without feeling that it has from beginnings to end been & "gigantic . tmngle-7-we Md! almost used a stronger term. The cle? partment has been placed under the charge of various ministers and officers" all ' ignorant of the .' business, and tie numerous changes made have only }e3 to tjontradictions and misunderstandings, have made things con* founded still, v Bofti ministers and offiqere have been triecj£ and found ificapable andfsnbstirnted by those! less^ competent^ «^lU .! f. ? yaripusi schemes and devices_haye jbeen intro-duced,-altered, amended and reversed, but they remain imperfect still, and apparently , t^e more numerous. ,the changes the less satisfactory the, result. Since Sir JuliusTcondescfended to" accept th 6 responsibility 7 of the immigration department, matters h ave^certainly not improved. His extraordinary ;ana peremjpthrj order to the-AgentrQeneral for 20^000 immigrants right <>n^ shewed- at o^ce he knew nothing about eniigration business. It placed the Agent in this position/ that he either-had;tode-cline -to- honor the order, or to send Tv-hajtever class^ he could secure. -' Unfortunately he adopted the* latter alternative; and the result we all know by the increase of the idle, the'viiQicious and criminal element in our; midst. Surprise has often been expressed- As' to how'so many of these classesbaye irianag^i to pass' all the barriers supposed toih&ve been placed in-the way of their obtaining free passages to this country. A'Uttle insight into this matter will no dtijibt prove interesting. - In order to understand this it is necessary to pre-mise-that the conduct of immigration is now a regular business in the home cqunhry, and isr engaged in by a large number of respectable gentlemen wb^p hare the confidence of the public, and wfiio. are .consulted by all who desire to emigrate to the- colonies or any other! cPhntry. The Government of America/ Canada, &c, take full advantage of their services and influence, and pay. them liberally. These have always on haad a very large proportion of applica? tions from the outcast and criminal, classes, but who can never manage to save as^much money ,. as ' pay- their passages; even to America, andcthey are th.us obliged to remain''ath6me, making periodical visits to the 'emffiigration A^ftits* lest free., passages to some place orAfbsher. may turn up.. When Dr. I*eotherßtone arrived home. he, entirely i^jipredfthese agents^ or treated themboili: pereorially \!and in : writing, in a; very contemptuous manner. ! Beside^' h^mployed individuals who had never hail, any: connection with 'emigration business, and paid them high, salaries tcptout for him but in vain; He had : set the whole recognised agerits.against 1 h^m, and thus the enormous sums lie paid for advertising-, travelling,'lecturing 1 , &c, were simply thrown : away. Heing^ .pressed from Wellington^ andiminij?rants being wanted by the 20,'0Q(), I)r Featherstone was obliged to;. ae-. khowledge that the influence bftha? agentff:;weretoo strong for, ,hin\,,sinrf; he ; appointed; ~sonie 1 30 of them right off. He; however, did not pay them, an equal sum to what they got for immigrants to America, and this facjb requires to be borne in mind toiinyers^and the sequel. The agents now had a chance to avenge their grievances with the Dr. He offered free passages, and the agents at once handed application forms to the undesirable lot whose names had s,tf long polluted their books, and all were greedily accepted .by the nnsuspectiiw^ Agent-tCreneral for New Zealand. T||i agents got 10s eacbfor them, and wouloO almost have been glad to have paid 51 this sum to get quit bf the annoyance they occasioned them. Theseagehte' i^ould not advise respectable and in'du&-'

' triouff%orldng > \n«n and womento opine 7 f their,^i^^p^ssßgeS;,^ XmenJfiL .., .Jjt 11 'paidnthe' agents better •thatctney : should, ■ golthptei-and of course 7 they: tised tneir; « influence/ in .Ythis ! v difcebtip^u , £ Thqs . through : Dr JPeathetstonets: ignorance; ' of vi% business and dfecbn^tesjr'towar^r taqse who did /know it, ,|lie has l^rdughX' I 1 . labout; : in. J , the ' matter of * amrnigr ation, \ total separation of the: righteous and '[ r thej wicked j\ the latter are our portion. ! ' Thj? .'remedy Sir Julius has provided, is t: part-paymentof passages by- the system; . of |)fomissdry notes !' ; ' J ['.'■-, • ' , There are several points yet to explain in connection with the mismanagement of our immigration '"business,* ? for example, as to" how; Jmmigraiits' • get over the certificate: difficulty. Of course each has to produce ample certificates from 'ministers, doctors, masters, &g., before they , are. passed. In another article we shall throw some light upon those matters. ;, ' " •'• •» . .' — i-^- ■ ' Wb' had occasion a fortnight ago to administer a mild castigation to our. Tuapeka contemporary for the objectionable terms in which he wrote of. a : and valued officer of the public service. , We were glad to ■observe our . contemporary submitted to : the rebuke in a becoming manner. He courteously explained that he did not mean what he said, and we accepted . his explanation as an evidence of contrition, and also an indication that his ; intention was to be more careful for t the future. We were much vexed and ', disappointed, xherefore, when we noticed that in his issue of the Bth instant the clog: had returned to his vomit. Oiir , contemporary again becomes impertinent. His ton is so changed as to cast | serious doubts regarding his identity, ;". and indeed we are inclined charitably , tp^believe that an evil inspiration had ;• been at work in his issue of the Bth, such as'is ! exceptional with our contemporary. • lie": carefully avoids the question at * issue, and proceeds to charge us and > *ou^ .constituents with all sorts of inconsistencies in connection with railway ". matters. He refers to the for- : •matjdVi here some six months. ago of , ring, better known as the ~> Oiutha^Railway Committee, for the exp^es'sj)iirppse of doing the 'dunning ' I Isystomatically/ 7 Well, we dare say pur contemporary knows something abojafltC There is a marvellous simir lanty-.^between the style of the article JFrotowMjh' we quote and that of the injdiviffual who was the " origin and executive of the railway or- "dunning ring.". We should not be surprised „ were : ourWurmises as to' the identity • pretty!, near, the mark. This self-- ■ flagellati6n : i&ia r tKe part" of our conr temporary is hopeful sign. It shows he is conscious of the only, kind of correction which is likely to be of any " avail with him;' and also that he is determine^ -to adopt it. He also make's a'"vig'6rdus attempt to make it appear , that having got the line of railway opened to tha Clutha, we now seek to 'throw obstacles in the way of opening "the branch line to Tuapeka! i We#feeci only say this idea only finds a place. -in the imagination of our contemporary. We never indicated any such desire. We could have no object in :vie\V in doing so. We hope to see thci Lawrence line opened at the earliest possible date. Moreover, we believe it will be so, notwithstanding the very imprudent* "dunning" of our contemporary '.'-'■ In urging, the immediate opening of the section of the line between. ( Tol?6mairiro and Glenore, our . contemporary . says :-^-" It has been alleged that the opening of this section will involve unwarrantable expenditure, l inasmuch -as this that an extra engine 1 willi)£CTegmred: to do the work. We .' have 'referred ths. subject to competent authority, and "we. are informed that neither oftttiese objections are well : founded.. • One -of ' the small bo^ie ;engmes*(T(}iild.be. n)ade available for the purpose witblQutinterfering with existing . i arrangements, " and under any circum- ; stances' tliat engine will have to be put !on- the section shortly, so as to go on with the of ballasting and platelaying.*'.; :Tn perfprinmg. these duties, wbichwill under any circumstances have to be- done', j^vCOuVi, without any ad■dftional Expense or inconvenience of '. "my kind/doiidiict the ordinary traiffic of tW section." 'Wi|h, all difference to ". ourj.coßl#mpQrary, av^ scarcely think tis j suggestion- would worksatisfactorily. It; V^oiilS| f be i^ossibj6- to time the ballast;%ain3) an^if! might happen that tlieltrains'^and the -passengers would be found;;going-in mfferent directions at the same-.; time. . , v ßesides, while we admit that. our- contemporary is the , |>est ; judgej bf the kind of conveyance .which wdtald; be acceptable, to: the in- ■ habitants.;; 1 of - his district; w : e : must ! te&ind hin^. that the i Tuapeka .railway is being . constructed , not specially .fpr the benefit of Lawrence, but of the' 1 public generally, and. we don't think that ballast trucks Trouid be quite the thing for travellers froiri the Clutha,^ I)unedin,v and elsewhere. . Imagine ( ;a" party of ladiesfstich as visited BalcTutha' tlie othsr day jb>eit»g aske^ . to take^ '■'& &e&s on the top a ded' with gravel or^tal:!.; ?^^^m^^st^ may'iabt' see: the * 'iVrottld^ b 6 intidi^ better 1 ' to * dela^ this i IS? 611 " 1 !? Qi !^;-"line! till the iieceß^ary I 'can^e':providedi ; "We; may ouf cont^topo^y^anxietjr'^ittlie; subject ; byyagsjirinff^him '$&".#& !^in- r * iwcessary delay iilriu'fbe" allowed in. tlie. matter, 1 • A :i •'•' - :: - :: - } ' - *■'■' ; ---- A