Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

SIR J. VOGEL AND DR FEATHERSTON.

A quantity of correspondence was yesterday laid upon the table of the House of Representatives with reference to the detention of Sir Julius Yogel in England and to the immigration question. The following is the substance of the correspondence, as published in the ‘ Daily r i l ime« Sir J, Vogel writes to the Colonial Secretary* under date May 13:—Sir, —I bavo the honor to inform you that since I reached Europe iny health has been exceedingly bad. I have had frequent attacks of acute gout, and have, during their intervals, been in a very crippled condition, only being able to move with great difficulty. As you arc aware, illness considerably delayed my arrival in England; but, after completing the loan negotiations, I thought I should be able to atteud to the other matters entrusted to me—notably immigration and the telegraph cable—in time to enable me to leave during May, Immigration matters have proved much more arduous tliau l anticipated, and have involved the examination of immense masses of correspondence and many retui us; indeed, the heavy work I have undertaken has, in the opinion of my medical man, Dr Garrod, very much retarded my recovery. I found that the latest time at wuieh l could leave England with any hope of being in New Zealand for the session of the Assembly was June. Seeing how precarious my health was, and how strongly Dr Garrod expressed himself as to the necessity of talcing means to restore it, I thought it desirable to call in to consultation Sir William Gull Ho and Garrod are considered .the highest authorities hi diseases such as that from which lam suffering. I enclose the joint certificate of gentlemen. [“We, the undersigned, have this day medically examined the Hon. Julius Vogel, and consulted on the state of his health. Wo find Mr Vogel free from organic disease, hut io much prostrated by gout and overwork that we are of opinion it would bo dangerous for Mr Vogel to undertake a journey to New Zealand, as proposed for June next. We a»o fmther of opinion that it is on all grounds desirable that Mr Vogel should remain in Europe during the coming summer, and that ho should follow a course of mineral waters at one or more of the German springs. We desire further to add it is our opinion that, by the rest advised, and a due medical course, Mr Vogels health will be satisfactorily restored. (Signed) W.W.Gull, M.D., A.B. Garrod, M.D.] I represented to them most strongly how great was my anxiety to bo in the Colony for the session of the Assembly, and the very serious personal disadvantages I should labor under, consequent upon my absence. They, however, adhered to the terms of their certificate, and I think you will agree with me that, in the face of such a document, I could not, with justice to myself or family, iucur the risk of leaving England in June. I propose, therefore, remaining in Europe until August or September, probably September, unless you telegraph that you wish me to leave iu August, when 1 would endeavor to do so. In these circumstances, it G right that I should place my agnation freely at your disposal, or rather that X should empower you to tender ic to his Excellency the Governor if my colleagues should think such a course necessary.

'IMMIGRATION. ! The immigration correspondence opens wth ; a letter from Sir J, "Vogel to Dr. Featherston, dated Bth September, in which the former complains that in reference to the Immigrants’ Land Act, it seems anyone about to sail for tbs Colony, and whose passage has been paid, has 1 had only to send Dr. Featheiston a letter asking for a recommendation in order to induce him to give it; and that he had given certificates in cwses so anomalous that the writer was at a loss to understand how he could have given them. Dr Featherston was asked to consider the Immigrants’ Land Act as a measure of very great importance, and that it was cb sirable to consult its spirit and intention as well as its letter. On the loth December, Dr Fatherston, in reply, wrote that he had been led by an expostulation so animated and serious to review and examine all his proceedings in relation to the Act, and to re-inform himself as to its purpose. He thereupon found that the principal intention of the Legislature in passing the Act would seem to have been to assist immigration by compensating with the equivalent value in land immigrants who had paid their own passages in money. He then refers to cases cited by Sir J. Vogel as showing an improper granting of certificates, and especially to an objection raised to the granting one to the father-in-law of the Master of the College. He says the relation of the father-in-law is nowhere mentioned in the Act, and that if he were to raise such a frivolous objection in one of the Courts of the City, in the event of being called upon to show cause for not fulfilling his duty under the Act in the case of an emigrant who happened to be father-in-law o f any person whatsoever in the Colony, ho could only expect ; t to be treated with either suspicion of his motives or doubt of his capacity. Replying to this on the 24th April, Sir J. Vo._,el, writing in Loudon, says Dr Featherston had chosen to be very severe and facetious upon the ease of the fathcr-m-law of the new head master of the College but that the supposition that the objection was to the fact of the gentleman being a father-in-law was preposterous. All that the complainant iraplie 1 was that this gentleman was not a ‘suitable emigrant ” within the terms of the Act. In reference to the French emigrants per the Queen of the Ago, Dr Featherston wrote that the persona named applied for a distance to the oociete Francaiso de Bienfeasauce, and wi re accompanied to his cfhoo by the secretary of that institution. Mons. GuiJlot stated that the men represented themselves as mechanics, and he had no reason for believing they ever followed the profession of ballet dancers. MISCELLANEOUS, On the 11th September Major Atkinson wrote advising Mr Kormaway’s appointment; and on the 20th November Dr Featherston replied that he had within a few days of the Oovernm jut’s !

letter appointed Mr Cashel Hoey to the office of his confidential secretary, and that that gen* tlemau had, before entering on its duties, resigned the office of Emigra ion Commissioner and member of the Board of Advioo of the Agent-General of Victoria, which he had for se vcral years field. Ho could not have conceived, when he appointed Mr Hooy to this office, that the principle which the Go\ eminent itself hid so distinctly and emphatically laid d iwu only the year before as to selection should have been, without notice or reference to him, apparently set addo in a manner which placed him in a peculiar painful and em* b missing position towards that gentleman. On the 20th February be had telcgr.-<phcd _to the Government, asking if they would sanction a salary of LOGO per annum for a secretary, and, receiving no answer, again on May 4, asking Mr Hoey’s appointment to be sanctioned at J.G9O a-yem On the Bth ef June, ho reciiv-.d the reply that the Government would not sanction more than L4OO for a private secretary; and ho could only understand its silence on the principal question as conveying the consent of the Government to the appointment of a person of his choice, if he could engage his services at the salary stipulated. Mr Hoc-y agreed to take office at the very inadequate salaiy of LiUO, and forthwith resigned his office in connection with the Colony of Victoria. No further communication from the Colony reached him on the subject until the 29th of September, when the Government telegraphed to him to abstain from employing Mr Hoey, as they were sending him an excellent officer to act under him over the department. Sir J. Vogel, on the 9th April, wrote that the reply seat on the 2nd April was considered by the Cabinet to bo a condition of that appointment that it was to be temporary, and it was imposed because the Government thought it probable extensive alterations would be lound desirable in the department, and did not wish new_ permanent engagements to be made. Ministers did tike into consideration whether they could prohibit Mr lioey’s appointment, but came to the conclusion that it was unnecessary to do so because I)r Feathorston stated he required a salary of LtiOO n-year, and they thought that the refusal to allow anything like that salary was sufficient. The icason why they were inclined to stop Mr Hoey’s appointment was because they believed that that gentleman ought to have a much mote permanent and influential appointment than they were prepared to sanction.

tin the 19th November Major Atkinson informed Dr Feathers ton in reforcnce to the Land Act that after most careful consideration the Goyernme ,t were unable to recognise any claims except such as were made iu accordance with the provisions of the Act, clauses of which render it necessary that an applicant should npply within sixty days of landing iu the Colony, and produce a certificate under his hand that he was a suitable immigrant. The writer regretted therefore that none of the applications forwarded through him could be entertained. On February 2 Major Atkinson sent Dr Tea. tberston letters of Dr Brittan of the ship Inverene, and Dr Nesbit of the Warwick with reference to their obtaining appointments as surgeons by paying the medical shipping agent LlO commission. They applied to the AgentGeneral time after time, out always received unsatisfactory replies, although during that period, from May to October, 1874, there were despatched from London to the Colony 31 ships, with an aggregate of over 8,000 passengeis. Some of the surgeons had never been to sea, yet they cculd find no vacancy for one who had served the Government well. They had had no proofs that clerks at Wesdminster receive bribes, but were till by the medical agent that they received half of his fee.

Dr Featherston, on the 23rd April, wrote with reference to the decision of the Govern. ment to have expunged from the records of the Colony his letter No. 5, dealing with the report of the Royal Commission en the Scimitar, as _ being of an unbecoming character. The writer said ho felt both surprised and grieved at this decision of the Government. If his views had been considered erroneous, or if it had been alleged that he hud given insufficient attention to the proposals of the Commission, lie should not have a word to say ; but when the nature of the letter is stigmatised as intolerably disrespectful, it was both his right and duty to disclaim in the most absolute terms any feeling whatsoever of disrepeat, either towards the Government or towards the local Commission. Sir J. Vogel replied that he was very sorry Dr Featherston should defend the despatch, and asked to be allowed to suggest that habitually regarding with suspicion and something allied to contempt the instructions and recommendations sent him from the Colony might lead him mtodGrospectful communications without his specially intending to give them that character. Ho had no hesitation iu saying that the letter was most disrespectful. If, instead of writing pages on a subject, Dr Featherston had said ho was of opinion that some of the features of life assurance or recruit examinations were objectionable, it would have been clear that be desired to meet the wishes of the Government; but instead of this he threw ridicule on the proposal, and showed no disp sition to remedy entirely the unsatisfactory medical examinations, of which complaints had so often been made. Dr Featherston wrote back saying that lie adhered to his declaration that it was absolutely impossible he could have been guilty of addressing a communication of an intolerably disrespectful nature to the Government, without having the least intention or consciomnes of exhibiting disrespect. Defending himself against a charge of writing utterly absuid 11 on the margin of a despatch containing suggestions from the Government, ho said he would not presume t<> characterise nT Vogel’s conduct [in* referring in an official despatch to his private memoranda on an official document placed with full and honorable confidence in bis hands, except by saying that it would lie difficult to find a precedent for such a,proceeding in official intercourse. In. legald to the paiticulur letter, the cause of this correspondence, he did not think there was evidence of any of those serious faults imputed as belonging to the character of his correspondence. It was his duty to the Colony, in whose service lie had spent many happy and not useless or unhonored years, not to leave such chaises unanswered, even though he might subject himself to further strictures on his letters, as being controversial, or as containing “unnecessary writing. ”

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18750721.2.6

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Evening Star, Issue 3871, 21 July 1875, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
2,195

SIR J. VOGEL AND DR FEATHERSTON. Evening Star, Issue 3871, 21 July 1875, Page 2

SIR J. VOGEL AND DR FEATHERSTON. Evening Star, Issue 3871, 21 July 1875, Page 2

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert