Auckland Echoes.

Thames Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4297, 9 October 1882, Page 3

Auckland Echoes.

(FBOX 0178 OWN COBItESPONDENT.) The tattle of the Contagious Diseases Act goes on more virulent than ever, and the champions of the faction opposed to the. introduction of the Act are dragging to light a multiplicity of petty facts — facts that should be spoken of with bated -'breath are blazoned forth, and women and children are made conversant with disgusting phases of life which, but for this atrocious controversy, they might have gone to their graves without ever .hearing. In, such matters "ignorance certainly is bliss," and the strong-minded females who have stirred tip the'filthy subject with bo much pertinacity have much to answer for. The " ladies" petition « close on forty feet in length, and r contains almost 1400 signatures, but many females, I am assured, signed simply for the purpose of getting rid of the perti , nacious hawkers of the memorial. Our Mayor has proved himself to be a very able general all-through the controversy. The clergy held a meeting, and were almost unanimously agreed that the Conr tagious Diseases Act was a document almost expressly prepared for the facilitating access to the infernal regions, and in this frame of mind they deputaticnised "His Worship. Mr Clark met all their :'arguments rpenly, replied to them logically,l and aMrr s<Yfral home thrusts, ' FUfh'as hinting that they were a parcel of old women, be sent them away . apparently satisfied that the Act was not .: F.ueh a had measure'efter all, and, at any- .'., j*jir\t, was calculated fo do more good than . Vevif.. This revulsion, of, feeling, however, '. : does .not appear to,have been of a very J lergtlnr duration,, eg.at a meeting held v ?l"*t Wednesday for. the pnrpese of '-:■■'. receiving the report of the deputation, a < resolution was 'unanimously carried that -•- it was desirable to postpone ihe bringing - into operation of the Act. With aril the outcry against the Act I feel certain that 'there is a strong consensus of public . opinion in itß faror. The inalter, of fact ■bind*'''of the coirimunity admit that 1 ermething must be done, and although the C.p. Act D>ey have flaws, no better method of coping with the evil has yet been suggested.