Evening Post. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1874.

Evening Post, Volume X, Issue 196, 6 October 1874, Page 2

Evening Post. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1874.

No one can have read the voluminous papers relating to immigration which were presented to Parliament without being struck by the very unsatisfactory position which Surgeon-Superintendents occupy on board immigrant ships. There is no person on board a ship on whom the comfort and health of the passengers so much depends, and yet the surgeons are chosen almost at haphazard and have little or no real authority on board. In the case of certain vessels detained for some time in the Channel one or two changes had to be made before a reasonally sober doctor could be procured, and in others the result of having a drunken one has been made painfully evident during the voyage and at its termination. It seems that the sur> gebfld afe not usually selected or sent on board, until almost- the last moment, that they. Selddm 'Bave "'an opportunity of hi' specting' thd emigrants before ' sailing, and b«aliy -are' profoundly^ ignorant of what medidit stores and' medicines are on board. Very little care seems to be taken to ascertain their professional skill or private character, and the authority of the captain is trusted to for the purpose of keeping the doctor in order, during tho voyage. With this object the doctoris made legally ,'ooe'of^the , ship's 'tvew', being required to sign articles, and the captain's authority is tbns^bsolute. Whatever authority th» ¦doctor triay exercise on .board he exercises .Oril^ By delegation- 'from t he captain and jfc is of '. cjottrse, ' his, first thought how to.U" please! and /keep- oiu good terms Mih tbd captain^ The imirjigrant* are al* fdgflith^f a 'Bgc6tidary ( ' consideration, , This W.altogetnet wrong. f l!he oi the faitnigranita and' those' 6f tine' captain; as" repxeeenting ,th& owners^ may often be ad verge,' tfttd ihe doptor' should ocernpy an .entiray ifldep^nd^otr position, enabling him ; jfo;act'at<^att^iflip&riial arbitrator between ltUe'tWd;p^ttrfies'oft "ali^a^era affecting the ' n^flllti'dfine.pasae'rigerft ' , Instead of being » sttforMtia < te,';dfficer.",of;;the captain's, he jfabtM dteapffr position analagoda ,to that '^ni<ill ; 4 mill a^onfr bccapi(J3 on board a mail steamer, r We-think it necessary to 'send a (so'vernmepfc"officer m, charge dfjobr; letter bags,' ' and pface 'him in an iodependebt and feSpoOSible "position, * He ii not ( gil the Snip's' Articles,.©!; under the captain^ tJoOtrol', but is" charged j with the special duty of Cdnservibgtha safety of th« mails, aad r ' in case of their bein^ endangered, his ;iJi>Wer 1 io, superseding 'tlie daptain, as wm actually ..done in one case during the 6xi«yncebf,the' Panama service. As' the Oovernmenfc carries on the work of 'immigration, it sHoufd not prove itself, less carefal oi the lives of ihose whom it laducestd'e'aiigra^tbanit.ia of the safety 6£ letters entrtistfid.toit for conveyance. The Surgeon- - Stt^ermtehdenis flhobld" be Cfovernmeut pmcerg^ and ,on . board, the ship represent "the Minister for Immigration*,, as the mail agent represents , the Postmaster-General. The.sncgeon should be altogether indepen- : dibt 6f\ the capiain' .in , the control, of the , medical - storeC and medicibeff, wad*, ill* .'matters ' affecting^ the ' health of" the tpassjin'gers,',' " f Of^%ujtse' it would ,h6t;do:to^entrast'rstich .powers as these '¦VS. medfcar'sfuden'Ss- picked lift athaiara. More care would have to be exercised in the of surgeons,, and w»y. ffooxtld When appointed become regular Salaried officers. of: the Government so; JdiSglas theic services, sh&old be required; ..If "a well-definea position oi, r authority. \w6i4 attached to' the office a superior class' men;, would probably be iottofd Willing to atfc'epHt; Under present arrangements the position of a ship doctor '» Hot an attractive" one to a steady, re« sp«ctabre/pract^ioner #v excepir fa the rare earas ..where such anJair'acceptrit'merelyas providing a passage to the Colony, wherehe intends to remain. If immigration is to be continued to an/Jlarge eitent -daring the year, we hope the new Minister ia >charjge of the department will do something y in the direction we have indicated, '.'¦' ** l^avenis" has necdecbeA tn fnrn4aTi n .

with his real name, .; M% FJFdster, -w&bw serfobs f acaicTen we recorded yesterday, is progressing as favorably as can be expeefed, > Hrpassed a fuiet night, and there are good, hopes that w illness may not,be ,v,ery protracted, V; A«special meeting of the managing committee of the^ Choral Society:' was held at Messrs Bethune and Hunter's office yesterday afternoon, when a good deal of important business was got through. Messrs Sealjr~(hont- see ) and Rons Marten were appointed a sub-committee to make all nfecesiiafy awangemeiits fo»ference'to the next concert, to take place on or about the 29th iugfc. The resignation of the pianist waVOflnotmced, and the secretary was instructed to request one of the lady members, 3«#dft)',partionlar( f*voir/ to preside at -ihe 1 piano at the next concert. The annual tChriitma%onitbrio{ theft :wa#dwct«sed; :^ was resolved that the oratorio should be JEtad$ l K > $ MeMiafrj" ja» on ..foraer; occasions, that the trustees of the Wesley an 1 Church, Manners-street, should, be requested •gain to allow it'^bVig^riltt'tnat'cnnrcfc anoTtfiaTfcne conductor, Mr Raymond, be instructed to secure the services of a com. >j»t«Drw^»»fs«3naf«he<''issistance of efficient solo singers. It was also decided tbft^fhercoipperatiotf orpntsitfertfshould be invited by advertisement or otherwise ; all names to be trot in to r the secretary, s andiabfaitf«d}fo ihe comiiifcfee, r whfo iwoald forward special tickets to"all 'for whom . they^had room, . The meeting closed with ¦the aansl VoW Of thanks to the chairman, Mr Gavin, ;M>;^c^bite's^M.&^e]'6^F,eirows' ¦ Hall took place last nighty, As usual, it iWWJ*& there was a .attendance, , .The entertainment con-; siated_ of', glees, duets, songs, &c, which all well rendered, by the .choir, voder ;the leadtrsnip of Mr.W;. Y. -Barber, The ,d«icibg,,,to the strains eJTthe Rechabito Band^ also led by Mr Barber,, commenced at 10, and was kept np till an early hour, \.iW«masing' little iacid«nt oocurred in iisSapTime Cottrt yesterday iuihe trial of Hebberley, One of the witneiwet, an ancienir Maori, was about to be sworn and rfready had the lestament in .his hand, when ;lnai»iForatu, the chicf 1 who had instituted the prosecution, came forward iJnthi* countenance of.? fritctise solemnity Imd-. objecMdrto- his being 1 sworn, oathe . gTOttnd4hathe.li»d not been baptized and : therefore cduHl not 1 be supposed to nndeW stand themature of «h oath I The .witness, hdw*veiyd«d*red that thotagh unbaptized he had been a believer. for no. end of a number of years. His Honor explained to Mr Ih«i*Poruttt, td his dbvious astonishmetit, that the witness' unbaptized state, how ever reprehenrible, did not'affect bis ability to take »n oath. During the whole of this .discussion |he wifnesi cohtinued kissing the Bible with laudable energy and persutency, evidently under the impression it vm m* Imperative doty so to do, and

with smacks bo loud as to resound through the court. The old gentleman was atleOgth persuaded to discontinue bis oscillatory exercise and proceeded, to give singularly vague evidence, From a notice in another colnmn, it will be seen that the required poll under tfae PublicaLibraries' Act is advertised by the Mayor to take place on Friday, the 16th At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning there was no criminal business. The civil casea were W, Bryant vJ. Martin, claim £15 4s. Mr Allan for the piaintiff, Mr Buckley for defendant. Jadgmenfc for plaintiff in amount claimed, with costs £9 15s, D, Bell v H, P. Ellerm. claim £40 ; and fr, P. Ellerm v If. Bell, claim £14 8». These were two cross actions. Mr; BncSley appeared for Bell in each case, and Mr Ollivier for Ellerm, Judgment was given in both 'cases for the plaintiff in the amount claimed with costs. The other cased were settled out of court, ; -We notice with regret the death of Mr 3. Catchpool, late Collector of Customs at Napfer, and one of the oldest settlers in this province," '.'_" ,*T . * ', / '. Mr Holloway, in a letter dated Christchurch, 4th May, published .in the Laborers' Union Chronicle, of 25th July, gives a very promising account of Otago and - Canterbury, and says that when one or two matters are set righs, the Union " may confidently recommend- any of our sober, healthy, and industrious farm laborers to come out to this fine country, I say fine country because the air is most salubrious, the, atmosphere and bracing, - the climate healthy and delightful, the wagea goad, provisions cheap, clothing slightly dearer than at home, cottage, rents high just pov, bnt persons of energy and perse* verarice soon run up a, cottage of their We*fifely published a telegram stating that a £1009 prize would be given at the .anniversary regatta at Sydney. '. From thb Sydney Town and Country we take the following/, on -the subject r—" The Anniversary regatta committee adopted the programme for the regatta of 1575 on Toesday, [ There are fourteen events. " In case of gentlemen amatear "crews' coming from England and America to compete with Australian crews, a prize of £1000 will be given. As the -regatta: take*, place': in January, there will be little timd ffor. ,'jzenftlemen crews' to avail themselves- of the- liberal offer of £1000, which isr nodoubt a modification of the proposal mode ' by, some enthusiastic sportsmen some time ago td invite the champion pullers oC -the world to meet on the Sydney .course* and frank them out, besides giving then* apprize ¦ of £1600 to pull for against a picked Axistralian crew." -„'.; We 1 take 1 thi following" froni 1 the Melbourrie Age jj — *• In Sydney "the bar has struck." This sentence sams up jmjm-. portant item of intelligence from i the : neighboring colony. One has been ao long accustomed to - associate* Btrikes with mef chahics and' othertfadWmen- that at first one has the idea that it is the alcoholic bar which is out on strike— the Hebes and the Ganymedes of modern society. Not bo, however. This time the/ strike movement has extended to a profession— in. fact, to the profession par excellence. The barristers have at last ackowledged themselves to be what they have been for a long time, viz,) the workmen' of "ttfe 5 attorneys, ' And they workmen are. dissatisfied with their masters. Tile latter, instead pi simply underpaying tbeu employes, have improved considerably upoa th&Jorm of other employers of labor, and have not paid them at All; For the firßt time in history the pleasing fictions that the bar is above taking "payment for its services, and that 'it Is the upper branch oi ±he r lagal profession, -have been rudely J dispelle'd. x ,. <r ~ ' :': '" li " In Wapierjnpw^-potatpeSfiare JEIS a top, and butter is Scarcely to be had for love or . money. I(S . :f &il -.;;•- ' Letter* 'SaVe been, received in Napier from Messrs' Laidlaw : and -Son, of Glasgow, stating th'a^the plant for the Napier Gasworks woula be ready for shipment during _thefirt^We^&.Q^obej^%-- r - t^-^%» The Tycoon of Japair knows how to start a paper. He doesnpfc offer premiums to subscribers, but, having taken ".interest ;n the publication of a- journal at theJapaneae^ capital he has issued an Wder'tttat airmen' of certain social and political standing shall take iC or be beheaded. The new constitution for Western Aus- - tralia is, says a Melbourne paper, principally remarkable;fpr,tiie very liberal scale upon which the present ocoapants of office are to be compensated. The bill provide*, that the Upper House shall be nominated^ by the Governor in Council, whil£ ithei Lower House is to consist of twenty-five members. The only qualification proposed for a member of the Assembly is that he should be entitled to vote for the existing Council, Mr, Barlee is to receive his fall salary as retiring allowance, while to the other members of the Executive Council , two-thirds of their salary is to be ; given, and?as a bonus £8000 is to be voted to Mr Barlee ; £3000 to Mr Frazer, the Commitsidher of Crown Lands, who was only appointed a few months ago • And £2500 to the e<- Attorney-General and to the Colo* m»l Treasurer. We can only hope that .these igentlemdtt may get ;the very handsome self'prcsented testimonial which they have taken so' much trouble to frame. The Napier Telegraph, referring to thY late meeting between the .electors of this city and their representatives, says i —"Nothing could well be in greater contrase than, the, actions of Messrs Peartfe and Hooter with 'regard to the abolition resolution, and yet, strange to say, Unanimous votes of confidence i^^re passed to both gentlemen," Out contemporary is in error in supposing that votes 'Of confidence were passed. The vote accorded was simply one of thanks for their -speeches; " This year," states an agricultural reporter of the Times, "France is rich in bread, .Last yiar she was poor, : and hod to import, probably, £12,000,008 worth of wheat and flour. She should in 1874*75 be ¦ able to export £3,000,000 td £4,000,000 woith df wheats so that the Finance Minister may congratulate the country on an increase i of wealth* from the wheat harvest of about £15,000,000 sterling. Many miles of travel and visits to the fields have given aflßdranoes of the above agreeable facts, agreeable.to. EngTand.aa to France, since in the years,, when ..France is* nonimporter! of .wheat, bread I ii ' cheap in Great Britain. l Ever since last' autumn the news from the French wheat districts has been exceptionally favourable, and personal inspectionjand actual results prove the good reports «o have been exceptionally true." Mr Cashel Hoey Bia, it is reported by the Victorian papers, resigned his position ai a member of the London Board of Advice to the Agent-General of that colony. The reason assigned is because he had received the appointment of Secretary to the AgentGeneral of New. Zealand, and it was considered that he could not serve the two colonies at the same time. He will thus to in » very unfortunate position when

Biiperceded by Mr Kennaway, as he will, instead of Bavi&g two masters, have no master at alt. Mr L. O. Beal, the Danedin manager of the Colonial Bank, who returned from Victoria by the Albion, has Bucceeded in making very satisfactory arrangements with the leading local bank in Melbourne —the Bank of Victoria. As was anticipated, the establishment of the Colonial Bank is favourably thought of by business men on the other side. For readiness to take offence commend me to a touchy Highlander, says " JSgleS," in the Australasian. A gentleman named Sfcnart, who i 3 chairman of an educational board of advice, not far {from town, had a letter addressed to him by the secretary* and, tiufdrtflnately, " the name was misspelt. It was written as "Stewart." So resentful was he that he tendered his resignation, and, by way of reprisal, addressed Mr Venables as •• Mr Vegetables, of the Board of Education." It is not Often, writes " Atticus" in the Leader, 'that one has to chronicle snch a princely act of liberality as that which was lately, performed by the son of one of otir Australian millionaires. In the division of the property one son found himself richer by £200,000 than the other, and, contrary to the usual fitness of things, the younger brother^ was the more wealthy. He insisted upon giving the elder born a cheque for < an amount which would make both their' fortunes equal, and after some negotiation, which was equally honorable to both gentlemen, the younger brother handed over to the elder the Bum of £200,000. I wonder' whether any member of the'^proudest family in England has done so-much. If he did, it is quite certain ihtd there must be a blot somewhere in the family escutcheon, for a proper regard to monesr is a distinguishing characteristic •of the eupatrid. ¦ • ... 1 • . - 3i '" . + ¦