THE STANDARD. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1873.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 40, 2 April 1873, Page 2

THE STANDARD.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1873.

“We shall sell to no man justice or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

When we find that among the settlers of Poverty Bay, there can be found, even one so blind to his own interests as to advocate, in a negative sense, the continuance of an teVil, we cease to beastonished at the indifference generally displayed upon questions affecting the welfare of the district. So true is the instinct of selfishness to the principles of its own nature ;so exclusively do men, generally speaking, confine their atten-. tion to affairs that concern themselves most as individuals; so isolated and personal are their nibral perceptions of duty, that they cannot conceive of any line of action or reform as necessary that does not in some measure benefit ■

or affect themselves. “ The greatest good of the greatest number,’’ is not among the articles of their profession; hence they conclude that no improvement or alteration is requisite, outside the contracted circle of. their own inter-

ests. - . 4 ( H(I .. . , , - The above remarks are pertinent to a lettqr we find “A Poverty Bay Settler ” has furnished to the Ha wke s Bay Herald, in which he says We wroth “with great indignation about the “ defective operation of the “ Auckland “Sheep Act,’’ and further, it seems to him “ that the Poverty Bay people neqd “not trouble themselves very much “about a few additional foot-rot sheep'

“ being introduced ihto titeir..diflEuit, “as all the runs to ttuaawest sjpthe “ Waimato, with one exception, are “ infected; the Inspector’s being among “ the worst.” We certainly do not intend to enter into a controversy with an anonymous writer, who is evidently so convinced of the moral wrong he is doing, that he has not the cj>urage to write to us —he is, in fact, bo fearful of avowing hiunfcf a supporter of evils which, to be lamenteck rather than SO” forth as a reason tor their anusi peeds go e3Bessi opinions which he miy well be aslMtredJ os being knnqyn to bef th e author which can be more> safely suited ufider a mask. We are, however, somewhat amprised, that thftj&Rhjefct. of.. fgfifacaL t fye„. formed pp part of the business of the At -id truri, al committee to revise the present Act, ’ wETcV“ we dare '^y',’~win i 'aim”*"aF removing,existing didiculties ; but why not ask the Superintendent to proclaim a . Quarantine {ground pit.opce? Are the absurd anomalies of having a perfect Inspector and an imperfect Act to continue for another nine months ? The proverbial gnats and caifiels were strained at and swallowed with the: usual, vigor and fiicility,) that characterize the actions of men intent on accomplishing their: one ‘domhiant purpose, to the exclusion, and at the sacrifice of all others. We have feared all along that the greater and more! important, question of making the Act workable, would merge in the lesser, and still less immediately-necessary one of appointing a new Inspector. We believe the sheep farmers have satisfied themselves that a change was desirable on every ground, other than those personally relative. £0 Mr,, Scott., We believe, also, that it isdesirablq for the appointment to be held by someone living near to town ; and that, as a> recognized official he should have, bis locus in quo, so fixed as to fee of most service to the community ; but ye believe, on the other hand, that it was neither expedient, nor necessary, to eject the exInspector, so unceremoniously from the office he had held so worthily arid so, long, and (as far as the proceedings at Saturday’s meeting show) without having given Mr. Scott an opportunity of resigning until after the election of his successor ! Personally we regret Mr. Scott’s removal, while we thoroughly agree with the judicious choice the meeting made in the selection of his:successor ; but we cannot reconcile our notions of right, with (to say the least of it) the rather uncomplimentary method employed of parting with a public servant, who, with an inadequate and precarious: reward", has done good service to the district. A 11 | f ’