The Kumara Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1877.

Kumara Times, Issue 276, 23 August 1877, Page 2

The Kumara Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 1877.

Whilst it is the province of th« Press to advocate measures of public benefit, and to denounce what are public injuries, it is not easy always to draw the line between what is pnblic and what is private. In a certain sense any private benefit or injury affects more or less the common weal, and may, there fore, become a fit subject for newspaper comment. More especially is this the case when a matter, although strictly speaking it is an injury to but one individual or two, becomes a topic of general conversation, and a social scandal. Such a matter is the recent bank robbery at Kumara. A fortnight has expired since!|pe were all startled at the information that amongst us were individuals willing and able to destroy the fair fame which the West Coast has for sdme years enjoyed for its freedom from, crime of ajserious character ; and what has as yet been done towards the discovery and punishment of the criminals ? And let not an attempt be made to treat the robbery as a light affair. It was a most serious one, for it involved, on the one hand the loss of gold and notes to the amount of thousands of pounds, and the possible if not probable loss of life, and, on the other hand, the loss of what has been ever considered of even greater value than life and property, to wit—good name. There is no use in disguising from ourselves the real question at issue. Either: those in charge of the Bank of New South Waleß on the night of the 9th of this month, were little Jess .than heroes, or they were impostors who deserve condign punishment. If the agentJMLr Hogg, knowing that robbers were in 'the bank and that they had possessed themselves of his revolvers and consequently that to attempt to interfere with them was to place -his life in imminent jeopardy,' nevertheless exposed himself unarmed in the first in* stance, and having succeeded in securing a weapon did not, in the second instance, hesitate to draw upon himself the vengaace of the desperadoes whose number and lurking places he was ignorant of, then we say that he behaved in a manner which should entitle him to the admiration cf all who can recognise, and appreciate at its true value real courage. Of Mr Lanauze much the same may be said. He, though weaponless, stuck to his post and coolly guarded the treasure which was entrusted to his charge. If, however, the whole affair, as represented by those two gentlemen, is a lie concocted for the purpose of covering defalcations, or to establish against their employers a claim for promotion, then is it a subject for the most marked disapproval, and a crime the perpetrators of which should be punished to the utmost extent the law will allow. The authorities must adopt one of these hypotheses or the other; there is, as far as we can see. no tertiuui quiJ, Then in the rmme \>f the publis we ask which of them they adopt, and demand that they act consistently with their belief. If a.robbery of a most determined and alarming character has been attempted more or

less successfully, why are not energetic steps taken to discover the Why is not a reward offered sufficiently large'to tempt.the cupidity of an-ac-complice or to overcome the scruples of a reluctant accessory 1 The pay of th© police has been reduced to so small a pittance that we may, without for a moment wishing to cast a doubt upon their willingness to do their duty honestly and faithfully, think a little encouragement in the way of a reward would be an inducement to extra

tion. But hitherto neither Government nor Bank has made a sign. The time when such an offer would have been most probably Ineffectual has been suffered to go by. The guilty men have had a fortnight in which to secure themselves from danger of detection* and to arrange vrith any who might be in a position to give information. If it is alleged that the authorities" are convinced that the whole affair was a sham, then we say, why do they not arrest those who have thus been guilty of "false pretences."? Surely the law can be made to touch them. Let the authorities have the courage of their opinions: let them take the necessary steps for bringing the delinquents to justice. Such a course would be straightforward and more worthy of honourable men, than the suspension for an indefinite period of one, who is not allowed an opportunity of having his conduct thoroughly scrutinized. For our own part, we hold, with all who best know Messrs Hogg and Lauauze, that the gentlemen have practised no deceit, that they have detailed a plain unexaggerated statement of the robbery, and we protest against the injustice and folly which would requite with disgrace and insinuated accusation, servants who have used their best energies, and risked their lives for the interest of their employers.