THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1875.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4271, 22 July 1875, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald. SPECTEMUR AGENDO. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1875.

When it comes to the knowledgo of a master that his servant is of opiuion his services cannot be dispensed with, it is quite time for tho mastor to givo that servant a short notice to quit. There i 3 nothing moro troublesome than an old employe - who, upon the strength of what he has been in the past, claims exemptions and privileges which it is oftentimes not only inconvenient but, at times, exceedingly dangerous to permit. Dr. Featherston is an old publ ; c servant, and has, in his time, been a useful man. His services, while appraised at fieir true value, have, at tho same time, ever been fairly remunerated. But Dr. Featherston, like many ether men, has presumed too much and too long upon tho many indulgences and latitudes which have been allowed him. lie has, it is to bo feared, deluded himself into a bulicf that his services are too valuable and cannot bo dispensed with. He has of late bocome troublesome and obstructive, and the sooner he recuives notice to throw up his appointment and is assigned a retiring allowance, to admit of a more efficient man to take his place, tho better it will be for the interests of New Zealand.

If an Agent-General, instead of attending to orders from head-quarters, will insist upon acting according to his own views of matters and in opposition to those under whom he holds his appointment, ho should not consider himself hardly dealt by when he receives his dismissal. A perusal of the correspondence which had passed between the late Premier and tho Agent-General shews sutliciently clear that the latter had taken upon himself to question the policy pursued by Ministers in regard to immigration and other cognate subjects. He not only did not carry out his instructions but snubbed Ministers for presuming to give any. So far as wo can see, there is nothing for Dr. Featherston but to tender his resignation or receive an intimation that his services can be dispensed with. Ministers would bo wanting in the respect due to themselves and their position to retain such an ollicial unless he expresses a sincere intention to amend his behaviour and make moro strenuous efforts in the future to fill the functions which have been assigned to him and for which ho olfors no valid excuse for having neglected.

Dr. Featherston accepted the honor of tho appointment as Agent-Geenral of the colony, and drew the emoluments atiached to it, but ho has left the work for the greater part to be performed by his subordinates. These have been careless of their duties even to recklessness, and, if the statements of Drs. Brittain and Nesbit be true, they havo also been corrupt. The colony has suffered through tho laches of the Agent-General. Leaving out Auckland, fever-stricken ships arriving at either one or other of tho Colonial ports have been tho rule and not tho exception, whilst wo have been compelled to recoivo immigrants of a : «.stainp which it would have been more profitable had they been paid to remain behind. Tho halt, the aged, and tho useless, havo been aont out to become a charge and a burden upon the colony, anil but for tho late interference of the Premier, we should, we doubt not, have been compelled ro submit to a continuanco of these evils. Dr. Featherston had been warned, cautioned, and advised by Dr. Pollen, Mr. Atkinson, and Mr. Vogel, but ho appeared to treat all remonstrances with supreme contempt. The past services and usefulness of Dr. Featherston all will be ready to admit, but he has allowed himself to go beyond the length of his tether, and however his friends may regret it, they will be compelled to acknowledge that his eervices for the future should be dispensed with. While on the subject, we may say that wo do not think that Ministers had a right upon their own authority to expungo any official letter which Dr. Featherston may have addressed to them. The letter should have been allowed to bear its own impress, whon tho public would havo been able to form their opinion upon tho nature of it. It will form a dangerous precedent, if Ministers shall be allowed to determine for themselves, and liXion their own authority, what public documents are to remain upon tho record, or what shall bo expunged from it. We may reasonably take it that the letter was a very disrespectful one, but this should form no grounds for expunging it. The Parliament should, we think, havo been the judges as to its disposal. Still vre entirely agree with Mr. Atkinson when he told Dr. Featherston that it would be impossible to carry on tho public business of the colony, if the suggestions of Ministers are to be treated in a way which borders very much on contempt. If Dr. Featherston really believed the instructions ho received from tho seat of Government were absurd, and such as he could not bind himself te carry out, the course

before him was very plain : he should have forwarded out his resignation, and Temained no longer in office than the time required for his place to be filled by some one else. Tho Government will probably feel that no alternative is left them but to cancel the present Agenl-General's appointment.

Although the question did not go to a division, the Government were last night virtually defeated by a powerful section of the members insisting upon an adjournment to the address in reply. Members shewed a determination not to give even an implied approval of very much that was comprised in the Vice-Regal speech. Sir George Grey, among others, said the House had a fair c'.aim to ask for an adjournment. He maintained thrt the highest possible principles were involved, —as indeed who would venture to say was not the case I Sir George would not swallow things wholesale. Sir Georgo Grey very reasonably asked why those assembled should not be allowed to consult with absent members whether they should accept the address, when if this were not done, time would be required to prepare an amendment ? It was too much to ask him to express gratification at things which wero not, as in the case where it is stated the railways are paying, when the very reverse is the case. They were asked to give up all representative institutions, which belonged not to them bat to posterity. The several speeches come to us in a very abbreviated form through the Telegraph Press Agency, but will nevertheless be read with much interest. It was Mr. Swanson who moved the postponement of the debate. The Government, he said, had not thought fit to act upon his advice by furnishing the House with a draft of the bill for abolisliing the provinces, to enable the subject to be thoroughly considered before any definite action had been taken. Mr. Murray seconded Mr. Swanson's motion. The motion was opposed by the Native Minister, as " inconvenient." There would, he argued, bo amplo scope to discuss measures " referred to when tho bill was brought down." Mr. Stafford fought hard on the side of Ministers. Upon all fundamental questions by which the Ministry would have to stand or fall, he would give them his most cordial and loyal support. Mr Fitzherbert took the same view of the necessity for tho postponement of the debate as Sir George Grey! The address, he contended, invited them to express approbation as to the negotiation of the four million loan even before the papers and explanations regarding the loan had been laid on the table Then it was, when feeling began to run high in the House, that tho Hon. Mr. Kichardson "had no objection to allow the debate on the address to bo postponed." It is quite certain that Ministers will not be allowed to have it all their own way, and that a very strong Opposition is in the course of formation.

The members of the City Council met yesterday afternoon for the special purpose of receiving proposals from appl'cants for permission to lay down a street tramway through the city and suburbs. There was only one application —that from Messrs. Owen Jones and Co..—and the conditions and stipula tions it contained were such that tho Council would have been acting most reprehensibly had they even ventured to entertain it. What is wanted is a tramway that will convoy people from the city into the suburbs and back, at frequent and regular intervals, at low fares. The proposal of Messrs. Owen Jones and Co. was simply to lay a line from Parnell along the new Beach IJo.id, through Queen-street, to the foot of Grcystrcet. We need scarcely remark that such a short line along level ground would be of little public convenience. Xothing less than a line from Newmarket, through Parncll, along the whole of Queen-street, and extending to Ponsouby, would satiafy the public requirements. The tenderers asked for a monopoly for twenty-one years, when the City Council would have the option, at the end of that term, of either taking over the tramways and plant at cost price, or extending the concession to the contracting parties for another twenty-one years, while twelve months was to be allowed for the work to be commenced; —the fares not to exceed fourpence from Parnell to Grey-etreet, and sixpence for any distance beyond those places. Such terms could not upon any pretence be acceded to, and upon a motion, carried unanimously, the consideration of the tramway question was deferred for four months. The object of this postponement is to give a more extended notice to enable persons from a distance to make their proposals. Would it not be advisable for tho City Council and tho sereral suburban District Boards to meet and make such conditions as they may agree upon among themselves, and, this being done, to call for tenders in accordance with such conditions? When it is known what it is the City and suburban authorities will give their sanction to, then will it be more likely that responsible firms will tender. In the past the}' have been told to make their own terms, when the Council would consider them. This method is about as loose as if persons were asked to say what they would build a bridge for without saying what sort of a bridge it was intended to be—how wide between the arches, or how many of them. The question will assume form and shape when all the bearings of it have come to bo better considered.

Our special correspondent at Wellington informs us, through the wires, that Sir Ceorge Grey's speech in the House yesterday was the best that had been delivered. There was not a superfluous word, no hesitation, and his utterances were given with great force. Those who have had the pleasure of listening to the speeches of Sir George Grey will not hear anything new from the statement of our correspondent. If not decidedly the best, he ranks among the best of public speakers in the colony. Mr. Stafford is looked to to support the present Ministry through thick and thin, and his reward will be, either during or at the close of the session, the Premiership of the colony. Further despatches are being printed as having passed between Sir Julius Vogel and Dr. Featherston. Sir Julius had the last words by summarily closing the discussion.

We suppose it is generally known that many uncharitable persons throughout tho communities of tho colony had expressed a strong disbelief as to the severity of Sir Julius Vogel'e illness ; but wo may presume that since the letter of the Premier to Dr. Pollen, with the medical certificate accompanying it, signed by two such men as Sir William Uull and Dr. Garrod, has been published, there will now remain none who will doubt but that Sir Julius has undergone severe and protracted sufferings, which has disabled him from reaching the colony in time to meet Parliament at its opening. No one who is acquainted with Sir Juliu3 Vogel, either in his private or public life, ever challenged the truth of the statement made respecting his indisposition ; but the currency which reckless telegraph agents sent threugh the wires from time to time certainly did move tho public mind for a time.