THE Otago Daily Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 13. 1872.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3282, 13 August 1872, Page 2

THE Otago Daily Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 13. 1872.

Tjie corresjjondence between the Colonial Government and the Agent-Gene-ral relative to Immigration, which has been laid before the Assembly, will enable the public to form v decided opinion respecting the administration of that portion of tlie Government Scheme. Until these Papers were presented to Parliament we had to be contented with such scraps of information bearing upon tho Agent-General'a movements us tho Government through their organ,

the Wellington Independent, chose to make public. For the most part, the paragraphs which have appeared from time to time in that journal on the subject of immigration, have apparently been inserted with the view of upholding Dr Featjierston's competency to fulfil the onerous duties of his post, and to show how that gentleman was striving his, utmost to further the interests of the Provinces of Wellington and ITawke's Bay. Latterly, however, the Independent htm been leas lavish in its praises of the Agent-General ; indeed, our contemporary has even gone the length of unfavourable criticism in. dealing with his immigration arrangement*!. It is certain that no one can possibly read the correspondence we have referred to, without being struck with the want of ordinary foresight and method which is displayed in his plans. While the Provincial Agencies were working against him in his endeavours to procure emigrants in Great' Britain, Dr Featherston had a reasonable excuse to oiler for his apparent inaction; but nearly a year has elapsed since these Agencies ceased to compete with him. At the outnet of his operations he committed the serious blunder of directing all his efforts towards promoting emigration :' from Scandinavia instead of from Great i Britain. While he personally visited Norway,- Sweden, and Denmark, and arranged for the shiprneut of several thousand persons from ports in those countries to New Zealand, he appears to have left the important task of obtaining emigrants in England ajijd Scotland in the hands of two or three persons possessed of little or no experience as Emigration Agents. The idea of inducing emigration from Ireland does not appear tohaveeven entered his mind. Mr 0. li. Carter was sent to Cornwall to obtain a supply of labourers, but he did not meet with success. The Revs. P. Barclay and D. Bruce were told off to work up emigration in Scotland, and, so far as we are aware, the fruits of their labours are confined to a short letter from the former to the Agent-General, enclosing notes of a visit to Skye and the North of Scotland. The reverend gentleman seems to have been in a fog as regards the plans of the Government. It was he who was referred to by the Hon. Mr Waterhouse as having written, in referring to a letter from Mr Ormojtd, * I have not much head for business, and fear I do not understand his scheme thoroughly,' A plaintive appeal was made by him to Dr FiiATHBRsTON to visit Edinburgh, and address the Colonial Committee of the Free Church Assembly, but the Doctor does not appear to have responded to the invitation. The Rev. Mr Bakclay thus sums up his views on the subject of emigration from Scotland :—' Beyond recommending a few girls for Hawke's Bay, to go out by the free passage system, I think it better to do nothing in re for a time. 1 Dr Fjeatherstost certainly seems to have acted upon this advice. After the date of the Rev. Mr Barclay's letter, 30th September, 1871;, the services of the two clergymen, we presume, were dispensed with,.as there is no further mention of their names in tho despatches. Perhaps the prospect of another invitation t> Edinburgh was too much for the Doctor's nerves. But we must not begrudge the two Free Church ministers their trip through! .the Highlands at the expense of the New Zealand Government. No doubt they did their best to promote emigration from those districts which they visited, and their want of success most probably arose from their inability to afford that accurate information regarding the ( Colony, the cost of passage, the port of j shipment, and the dozens of points con-; corning which possible emigrants desire to be satisfied before pledging themselves to leave their homes. From November, 1871, to March, , 1872, there is little evidence in the • i

• J despatches before us, to show that Di I was making stremijpMi *! efforts during that period to prombi* |emigration from Great Britain.^,'^li r J Febraary, he commenced to negotjaj* with shipowners for the conveyance b: emigrants to Kew Zealand, and on th< 7th March he forwarded to the Colonia Secretary the contract he had* just con eluded with Meswrß Shaw, Savill, am Co. for conveying emigrants to thu Colony for twelve months, ending 7tli March, 1873. In his despatch of the 22nd March, he notices the .arrival ,'oi tlie first of the Colonial-:ippoii)£e<l emigration, agents in the person of Mr Fkibkh«. He writes:—' It is unfortunate that this appointment was made,' and he adds ' ifc seems very doubtful whether I shall be able to avail my self of his Korvicea.' Mr Fkikkug had been specially commissioned by the General Government to select emigrants in Scandinavia, and Dr Feathehstqx explains that the laws of the Scandinavian countries provide that before any person can act as an emigration agent he must lodge a heavy money security with the local authorities. Dr. Feathkuston*, referring to this circumstance, writes—' Mr Fribekg is of course not prepared to give any such securities, and I do not feel myself justified in entering into them on the part of the Government, having already engaged Agents in respect to whose proceedings no.liability attaches, .or can attach to tlie Government.' However, as Mr Fuibekg was receiving 18s per day from the Government, Dr. Feathkrston gentium off* to Sweden, in tlie hope that he might be able to make some arrangement with a licensed Agent, ' by which he might act on behalf of such Agent, without" the necessity of giving any security.' When in Sweden, Mr Ftubbrg discovered, to his surprise, that there were already agents in that country, ' puri>orting to be appointed by the Colonial Government, advocating emigration to New Zealand, and, what is more, on terms far easier than those I was empowered to offer.' Under these circumstances, Mr Fkiberg deemed that a further stay would only be a loss of time, and he therefore returned to London, and reported himself to the Agent-General. Instead «f allowing Mr Fribekg to return to New Zealand, as he expressed his willingness to do, Dr Featiikuston determined to retain him, with the view of placing him in charge of some 200 Norwegians, who were to leave in June, in a vessel direct from Chmtiania to Napier. In order that the Colony, however, should have some return for the! 18s per day, which Mr Fbibxrg ■ was in receipt of, he was requested to proceed again to Sweden ' to enquire into and report upon the manufacture of sugar from beet, the manufacture of paper from the wliito pine, and the preserving of milk—the three industries being carried on both successfully and on a large scale in Sweden.' We know a great many persons who would gladly go home at the expense of the Colony to report upon grouse shooting and salmon fishing in Scotland, and we venture to say that a report from any intelligent colonist who made a tour of the Highlands upon such a mission, would prove infinitely more interesting, and quite as useful as the report from Mr Fribero. upon Swedish industries, which, ho doubt, in due time will cumber the Blue Books of the Colony. It must be gratifying, not only in a community such an thte, composed as it is of so many natives of Scotland and descendants of Scotchmen, but to .all the admirers of Sir Walter Scott, that the anniversary of his birth is again to he celebrated. Independent of this, too; the object in view in one that must commend itself, not only to the countryman of the great novelist;, but to the promoters of education generally. The entertainment on Thursday Is one which, even; on its own merits, we are certain will command a crowded attendance. The facts that Hie Honour Mr Justice Chapman will occupy the chair, and that Professor Black will also deliver an address, are in*" themselves a sufficient gnarantee that those who are present on the occasion will be fully rewarded for their attendance. In addition to the speeches of the gentlemen named, moreover, < several members; of the Choral Society will assist, and a number of vocal and instrumental pieces will be given by them during the evening. 'This will no doubt prove not the least attractive part of tho programme. The Jball is to be so arranged that daring the intervals of the! music and speeches the audience will be enabled- to promenade about the room. The members of the Dtmcdin Mutual Improvement Association^ have joined this movement, and their co-operation will very materially contribute to make tho ' affair a decided success. We had almost ]• forgotten to mention that several of the siderooms will be open, where readings from! Scott's works will bo given by several' gentlemen who have kindly volunteered.!! their services for the occasion. We might venture to suggest to the proper authorities and the members of the managing Committee that they should endeavour to get the Museum, if there be means t>f lighting it, thrown open on the night in: question, as such a course would conduce in ao small degree to the pleasure and profit of the evening. In conclusion, we may remark that it would certainly be something to be balked about elsewhere, should the community whose founders are from the land where education is loved and fostered not succeed in founding a Scholarship in commemoration of jne of the greatest literary names in the whals of the land.

Plummer and Christie: remain uncaught.

A deputation, consisting of Dc Huckeu and Boruo gentlemen representing the Friendly Societies Hall Co., waited upon His Honour the Deputy-Superintendent yesterday, to ask him to grant the use of prison labour to have Bell Hill cut away up to Mrs Mixir's section. Ilia Honour said he would obtain the report of the Government Inspector of Works apon the matter, advised the deputation to consult with the Inspector before he sent in his report, and said that until the report was received, he did not like to say any tiling definite on the subject.

There was an ordinary sitting of the Supremo Court in Bankruptcy yesterday, the principal business being the examination of witnesses regarding some of the circumstances connected with the bankruptcy, in

r July, 1871*. of Mr JoWSracleaa, of the'late S firm of Djriy^r aiid Mackan, ati&;inore;parB tictilarly Jfo^cnungltlfa int<rr<£* lihicfe lie 1 once ba&^ittljhe Pukeitbi .StatioiJ^ aritl, Qic » I^Jffient to tnwtecarW £1000 on behalf of f lutfrife and child. After ail the tvidence , had bcentaken, an application for cos's by 1 Mr Maclean's counsel was refused. A por- . tion of oar report is published in this.iesue. I George Harle, «ho had been admitted' i into the Diinedin Hospital suffering from , aneurism of the loft carotid artery, and who, 3 }&v we have recorded in a late issue, had the p artery tied, is now doing veil.. Tho female [ ipaticat who {submitted to the operation for p removing the breast, w also doiug welL ; An occasional correspondent, writing from ■ t "Fortrosb; Tois T-.w, andi-r date 7th August, ■ .says:—" We have had very enjoyable weather ofi.Ue; fine sunny days with light ; fronts at night. The settlers are pushing on : vigorously with their ploughing and sowing, ;and I observe H-jveral brc;tkin£j considerable quantities of new land. lam happy to Bay we have now a passable mad throughout the , district, and also that bar Committee have received intimation that a.considerable stun i« bow at their disposal for further iinprovemfint*' and repairs.' It appears to bo an j undoubted fact that we have au abundance of really good;coal in the district. The cou- - tractors'engaged in draining for the btkecitlverte came upon a seam of \ coal four inches thick only two feet from the surface, and quite equal in quality to Newcastle coal. I h«ir also that similar scams have been found in other parts of the district. Should these l seams be fouud to be of large extent, I venture to predict that the coal would be not only a boon to the district, but a Kource of wealth also. The inhabitant of this district feel greatly the need of a monthly Court being held in the locality; for although it is pleasing to be able to say that few cases of litigation arise here, yet in the case of those thnt do occur the parties concerned are put to great inconvenience and much loss of time, by having to travel from 60 to 70 miles to attend the Mataura Bridge Court. A constable's presence would also bo acceptive to the settlers hern ; and as his duties in that capacity would not be very heavy, be might act as Ranger also at a slight extra ■alary.-' > As an instance of the frightful state of the road in the neighbourhood of the Houndbnrn Hill, we (Mount Ida Chronicle) have heard it mentioned that a surfaceman was observed this week repairing it with a long-handled shovel—on horseback ! According to the Wellington cnrresx>ondent of the West Coast Times, Mr Steward is said to be assisting Mr M'Glashan in his duties as Government Whip. Mr Fox is now one of tho Vice-Presidents of the United Kingdom Alliance, as also ; is Professor KollcAton, a brother of the Superintendent of Canterbury. At Chrintchurch, the rush to the Hospital of persons desirous of being vaccinated was bo great that a constable had to be stationed at the door, to keep the crowd of applicants from overwhelming the doctors, j The co-operative society established at j Waugarei, Auckland, has proved an entire success, paying 10 per cent, profit after all expenses are deducted. How the Maoris get ammunition is explained by the following extract from a letter of the Northern Wairoa correspondent of an Auckland paper :-—" In not the Anns Act rather a farce as far as the district is concerned ? Three chiefs got licenses for ammunition the other week, each o: whom has, I ' hear, gunpowder in tons stored away, being * j art of the stores saved from the wreck of the French man-of-war wrecked on the West Coast some .years ago.'' A tuuncL4Qoo feet in length is being exca . vated by a mining party at Addison's Flat, ! near Westport. j Under the heading " Cantion to Suitors and their Agents ia the Magistrates' Courts/ | the Nelson Examiner publishes the follow-lowing:-—"At Wednesday's sitting of the Magistrate's '•Court,'' Air Pitt, acting for Mr lionnington,5 the defendant, required Mr Rout, acting for Mr Collins, the plaintiff, in; a ca&e of disputed rent, toshow authority to appear as agent. Mr "Kent produced a document, signed by Mr Collins, authorising him generally to sue for ami recover rents due to him (Collins). To this Mr Pitt objected'that a general authority .was insufficient, and; that the document was not stumped. There was some difference of opinion/amongst the Magistrates, but we understand, that the objection was ovt-rrukd, the words of the section of. the Justices of the Peace" Act 'not explicitly requiring an authority for each ' specific case. Mr Pitt, next objected that the authority was to sue, but >>ot to appear, as t c terms of the section require. The Bench admitted this objection and declined to allow Mr I'out' to proceed—the j plaintiff was therefore nonsuited, with costs. Possibly the Bench were over-nice in declining to admit the Authority, which, as one of the Justices remarked, 1b meant to protect * the Court and suitors, and is qnitc super- J Ououii protection to the legal profession. It j is, however, quite as yell that those who undertake agency in the Magistrates' Courts, should acquire eractitnde'nnd method, and: a little excess of strictness may, in the end, be to the advantage of agent* and suitors, as it will certainly, conduce to despatch and. to the comfort of the unpaid magistracy. Cheap justice we all desire, but unices' strictness and method are maintained, there is plenty : of experience that is likely to become only Beemingly cheap but really worthless." . The Princess Theatre-was again well tilled , last night. The astonishing feats of the Japanese, aud especially those of " All Right," were loudly applauded.

The annual meeting of the Lodge of Dunedin, No. 931, EC, will be held'this evening, at 7.30. The officers and members of the Provincial Grand Lodjre of New Zealand, S.C., and of the Otago Kilwinning, fct Andrew, and (Jeltic Jx^ges, 5.0., arc retpaested to attend on the occasion. A meeting of the Otago Institute will be held in the University Building at 7.30 this evening, when an addretra will be delivered by his Honour Mr Justice Chapman. Mr Leary -will address the Caversham electors at- the schoolhouse, Mornington, this evening at 7.30. .Mr I"'3" w'^ address them at the Iloslyn Hall, at the name hour. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Duncdin Mutual Improvement Society will be held in the hall below the Athenaeum at 8 thU evening, when "several nieuibera -will give select readings.