A CHANCE FOR MR MACANDREW.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 14, 2 August 1873, Page 10

A CHANCE FOR MR MACANDREW.

TO THE EDITOB. Sib,— Mr Macandrew, in his hustings speech on the occasion of the Supermtendency contest, said :—: — " Well, gentlemen, I should say that no man is worthy of being called a statesman— at all events a colonial statesman— unless his great object is, and he uses his influence towards getting a regular accession of industrial population to our shores.— (Hear.) I believe that any statesman is unworthy of the name, unless his aim is the attainment of that object." I thoroughly endorse Mr Macandrew's utterance ; and to make things more practical, I will give him a hint of a way by which his broad policy may be carried cut the more successfully. Dr Featherstem has, on his own showing by the immigration reports just to hand, left some 25 counties m central and southern Ireland unworked as a field for immigration. Strong representations being made from- the colony of his neglect of duty, he writes to show that from the north of Ireland— taking into account the relative populations of the home countries—" a proportionate number " of Irish has s been sent out. What an absurd idea ! The great medicine man acting as a balancer of nationalities— a la the Scottish agoncy. Is it not DrFeatherston's business— he has the spending of some £7000 in salaries and office expenses to do so— to work all the available fields of immigration, and get as many suitable immigrants for the country as he possibly can get, and so avert the failure of the great colonial scheme? Or, is it the business of tbe balancer of nationalities, and is the £7000 a year given for doing it, to do the grand in tho West End, and not try even m the slightest degree to turn New Zealand-wards the enormous current of immigration daily flowing from Dublin and Queenstown to the United States and Canada ? Also, is a civil servant, however high, to set the Government at defiance and do as he pleases, which he did when he disregarded its instructions? Tho Government no doubt is to a great extent to blame by shielding him at first ; but now the question appears to have almost resolved itself to this : Shall they go out of office or shall he keep his appointment. No doubt a good Btiff vote of censure will be sufficient, and it will have the wholesome effect of making Dr Feathorston more careful— will make him abjure either his well-known policy or give up tho Agent-Generalship ; and Will also have the effect of making the Government more watchful over him. I could also refer at length to important omissions and blunders m regard to tlie working of England and Scotland ; but there are plenty from these countries to speak for them, and especially from the latter. I will not at least in this letter do so. Again I sax, hero ie a fine chance for Mr Macandrew. Such an opportunity may not occur again of advocating his views, and it only remains to be seen if he will ace up to what he has said. He is the superintendental representative in the House of the largest Province in the Colony. As an Otago man, I look up to him, and ask him to redeem his express promise, and move in the matter within 24 hours from the time in which he sees the issue of- the ' New Zealand Tablet' in which this letter appears in the Parliamentary library. lam sure nr-.y readera, at least my Otago readers, will expect him to do the same. The notice of question is, Has Dr Featherston given any explanation of the fact why he did not take steps to obtain immigrants from the central and southern counties of Ireland ? and also, Doe» the Government know the grounds on which-he dismissed Mr Farnall ? Was it because he set an example to Dr Featliarston of doing his duty ? — I am, &c, yours truly, ViaiLANT,