“The Press” In 1866

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31115, 19 July 1966, Page 16

“The Press” In 1866

July 19 The case of the John Temperley has attracted a great deal of attention, and some strong opinions have been expressed upon the conduct of Mr Marshman as Immigration Agent. The latter, we think, have been somewhat exaggerated. Mr Marshman has long been known as a zealous and painstaking public servant; but it cannot be denied that either he has committed some strange errors of judgment in this instance, or that it is a convincing proof of the necessity of some alteration of the immigration system. . . The great difficulty in conducting female immigration to this colony arises from the length of the voyage out and is only to Lbe overcome by the maintenance of strict discipline on board ship. With a well-devised stringent code of regulations, a prudetft captain, and a surgeon

and matron who know their duty and are determined on doing it we do not see why order should not be preserved among the single women as well as in every other part of the vessel. Of course, in any large collection of emigrants, male or female, a few black sheep will be found, whose bad example will in time corrupt and lead astray the rest; but if on the first sign of disturbance the ringleaders were secured and placed in confinement apart the others would readily be brought to submission. In the case of the John Temperley we are told that the disorder orginated from a party of three or four women, and might have been checked at the outset had the surgeon and matron acted as they ought. The evil, if not caused, was aggravated by the incompetence of the matron and the worse than incompetence of the doctor.