THE STANDARD. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1873.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 85, 6 September 1873, Page 2

THE STANDARD.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 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.”

The subject of Leprosy in connection with immigration is not a pleasant one to write upon under any circumstances, even when the chances of a speedy introduction of it into our midst are so remote as to place it without the pale of probability that one should, himself, ever become a victim to its fearful ravages. But when he comes to reflect on the bare possibility —to say nothing of the not far distant probability—of such a plague being introduced into his own country, and that he may become a victim, the idea is, in itself, insupportably burdensome. We have elsewhere reprinted a short account given by the Rev. Frederick Metcalf, M.A., whose personal experience enables him to vividly pourtray the horrors of that fearful malady, than which nothing can be more loathsome. And we have done so with a view to draw attention to the fact of this plague being but recently, even if, indeed, it be not now, in active operation in a country whence we are drawing a large per centage of our emigrants; and that we are deporting from Scandinavia to this Colony shiploads of people, and possibly amongst them some Norwegians who may have concealed within them the germs of this fell disease, waiting—according to the Rev. Mr. Metcalf—only a favorable opportunity to break into bloom ; and by its introduction, decimate one of the fairest countries of the Earth. It is fearful to contemplate ! The source of our information is an exchange, which reached us but recently ; and, considering it has been before the public so long, we feel some surprise in reflecting that it has created no alarm, and that neither the Agent-General, nor the Government should have expressed any apprehension, or suggested the necessity of great watchfulness in the matter. Parliament also seem to have made no sign; which fact stands out in rather

noticeable contrast to the many cogent and other reasons lately advanced in the House (and out of it) on the horrible calamity likely to arise from the introduction of Pleuro-pneumonia from England or elsewhere, by the importation of cattle. That question, doubtless, is one of much importance to the life-blood of either a young colony, or an old country ; and it shewed a wise forethought to take the mythical “bull by the horns” before the murrain came, than to wait until the disease had so thinned the herds of the Colony that there were but few real ones left to take without it. But why not so with emigrants ? Has the blood of bulls and of goats more value in the eyes of our legislators than that of human beings ? Surely if it be necessary to put a prohibition on the introduction of murraincarrying animals, so as to guard against the permeation of a disease which would bring beef up to half-a-crown a pound, and milk to a guinea a quart, it is equally essential to take some precautions in another direction against evils which, in their effect, have no numerals to express the wide-spread devastation they would cause.

But we fear, judging from the papers presented to Parliament, on the question of Immigration (from the world, we will say) to this Colony, that the whole system is out of joint, if, indeed, there be a system at all. Upon this matter —the grand arterial canal of the Public Works scheme —more pressure has been brought to bear, than upon all others put together —railway plant and war medals not excepted. Dr. Featherstone, and his “500 Light Brigade,” have been so persistenly instructed, and commanded to go into the highways and bye-ways, of the Old World, and bid all they could to come, so that the Colony may be filled, that the halt, and the maimed, and the blind, and (though last, decidedly not least) the leprous, stand as good chance of being deported to a salubrious climate, at the expense of the Government, as the most desirable of colonists have. Feed agents at home will not be over nice in their exactions, when they come to remember that for the purposes of local industry ; the fostering of “ protected ” trades; and the execution of railways, the Colony before all the money is gone. The agent gets his fee ; the emigrant arrives safe, if not sound ; and if he’s useless, well—the rest we know from experience.

But, in returning to the origin of these remarks, we do hope that the Government will institute such enquiries, and adopt such measures as are necessary in our present position. We desire to create no unnecessary alarm ; but under the circumstances consider it highly culpable to continue to draft the foundation of a young and vigorous colony from any part of the world, without the most rigid supervision and sanitary surveillance; and it would certainly be worth the trouble, to disseminate amongst our Coast natives a knowledge of the baleful effects of eating anything, more particularly fish, in a state of decomposition, That some diseases nearly allied to leprosy have made their appearance amongst the Southern natives is known ; so that while we are watchful from without, we must not be unmindful of what exists within.