The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1884. GOVERNMENT AND THE SARAH W. HUNT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1129, 22 January 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1884. GOVERNMENT AND THE SARAH W. HUNT.

The action of the Government with regard to the shipwrecked sailors of the Sarah W. Hunt has been, to say the least, most reprehensible. When it was first known that the vessel had left a number of its crew in an open boat on the coast of a desolate island Government refused to send a steamer to search for these men, until literally forced to do so by public opinion, as expressed by some of the Chambers of Commerce and by the newspapers. Part of the crew was rescued on Campbell Island by the steamship Stella, and were taken to Dunedin and there placed in the hospital to recover from the hardships they had endured. The last and perhaps the meanest possible act of the Government is its refusal to grant these six rescued men a free pass by railway from Dunedin to Lyttelton, that is to say Government has refused to grant a favor to six shipwrecked penniless sailors, a favor that would cost them absolutely nothing. These poor castaways—being Americans —were told to apply to the American Consul. What in the nerae of goodness could the American Consul do if the Government would not co-operate with him and help him ? Among the various duties of a consul we can find nothing with regard to his paying the railway fares of his shipwrecked countrymen. Stated generally, it is the duty of a consul “ to exert himself to render the condition of the subjects of the country he represents as comfortable, and their transactions as advantageous and secure, as possible.” In the detailed duty of this official there is nothing to be found that would warrant a Government to throw such a burden on him as the New Zealand Government did on the United States’ Consul, resident at Dunedin. Not that we for one moment suppose that it was only the laudable desire of the Government to do what they thought was exactly correct that prompted them to act as they did in the matter. It was nothing but that wretched, drivelling, hanging-back policy that has characterised them ever since the present Ministry took office. It is urged that the men should be very thankful for being let off so easily, having not been punished for fishing in forbidden waters, Doubtless they are. Doubtless also they are overcome with gratitude for the prompt measures and the tremendous exertions that Government put forth to rescue their lives. All we have to say about the matter is that it is a disgrace, and a very great one, too, that the Government of an enlightened and educated land like this should refuse carriage for a few hundreds of miles to seamen for whose lives they have shown the greatest indifference. It would have cost them nothing—not even the placing of an extra secondclass carriage on the train. It is a good thing that we have a few liberal and kind-hearted men like our Dunedin friends, who paid part of their fare by the Company’s steamer to Lyttelton and also supplied them with pocket money. Such is the conduct of tl\e Atkinson Ministry, and such the heartless, ; arbitrary and unjust acts they will have to account for next session.