CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6272, 23 December 1881, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

■» RUSSIA'S KIGHT TO DEFY BRITISH LAW.

TO TIE EDITOR. Sib, —Iu yoiu- i sue of this moroiug you have a paragraph on an alleged c.ice of theft committed on an Auckland citizen by a seaman belonging to the Russian man-of-war Africa. So far as one cau gather from the paragraph no attempt was made by the Auckland authorities to arrest the supposed robber after lie had gone on board his ship, the assigned reason bei;ig that a Russian ship is Russian territory; that it is iu fact si in ply an " extension" of Russia. If this really be international law, it is surely high tune t'lat Russia was precluded from "extending" her territory into British waters, and amongst law-loving and law-abiding-British citizens. For my own part I can hardly believe that under any possible circumstances does British law allow a foreigner liberty to appropriate the goods of a British subject. Supposing ths whole ship's company had taken it into their heads to appropriate the contents of the collers of the Bank of New Zealand, would the tiling have been quietly winked at, iu the event of the robbers reaching their vessel before the police could catch them ? Yet a theft is a theft, whether committed in a wholesale manner or simply from -a private citizen Iu law and ii: common sense there is not an atom of difference hi the actual crime. Again, I would like to know whether the officer commanding the Africa obtained leave-to- fire a salute on "Sunday at midday ? If so, from whom did he obtain it ? If permission was obtained, the ofiicial granting o.f it must have been singiilady deyoijl -oL-nationaf. I'cQli'qg, and

I also singularly devoid of revereuco for the 'Jay that English people by law lia"c set apart as the Sabbath of the Lo;d the : r God. Jff permission was not asked or obtained, the who!e proceeding may be :ooked upon as a direct iuuilt to oar na, : ona' flag, and as an outrageons defiance of God, who was at thai pyit'cu'r.f momeit being worshipped by the various Christian denominations of tins city. Russia and Britain, or rather the great A.ig'o-o.xon race and Russia and her allie3, will yet have to cross swords —not for India, not for the Crimea, not for Constantinople. The stake will be far greater: it will bt for the supremacy of the v.orld. That great fight will decule once and for ever whether free institut'ous and the worship of the t.ae God shaU prevail on this earth, or whether they shall be stamped out. Ol all the nations of the earth Russia is the one that we can least allow to "extend her territory'' in the way her warships—according to your paragraph—are a'lowedtodo; more especially when this "extension" of cai'ses British law to he openly defied, and the British S.il'brtli to be desecrated. —I am, &c., E.mfii;e. EIGHTS OF WAY. TO THE EDITOR. Silt, — With the view of preventing the building up of fever nests and the deterioration of properties adjacent, large powers are given to municipalities, enabling them vetoing rights of way to buildings that are not of sutiicient width, ami that do not make provision lor the conservation of the Public health and interests, as compared with private interests, which simply consist of making as much as possible out of an estate, regardless of every other consideration, and leaviug as a donation a possible plague spot, and the maintenance of narrow streets and alleys to the ratepayers, who, in no manner otherwise benefit by the disposal aud division of private properties. There will be, so long as estates are in the hands of large property holders, a pietty constant demand for privileges and concessions under the Acts. This should be carefully considered and rarely granted, without good aud suiFcient causes publicly made known. Ths difficulties that corporate bod : es (hid in dealing with such properties .and Wind lanes will only be intensified as the population of the large towns increase, aud the more the growth the greater the trouble and ultimate cost of purchasing out private interests to improve towns. All such applications should be watched and refused. Few of our existing towns and suburban districts but that have more than enough ot narrow streets and alloys, which, from a deficiency of drainrge and other a nuisance and an eyesore to their respective ditricts—lam, &c., Ai-.gcs. TILE WANT OP FIiMALE DOMESTIC?. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —There is at present a very great dearth of female domestics, so much so that persons find it quite useless to advertise, as none are to be obtained. It is now a long i/iiie since we have had any new arrivals of this class, and doubtless a large number of the previous shipment have married. Cannot the Government he requested to take some immediate action to provide for this great want? Verily, in some households, you dare not say your sorl's your own, much less your house, and "Mary Jane'' rules supreme. The impertinence and incivility one has to put up with, just now, is past bel'.ef. Pray, urge the Government to send us two or three hundred eliublcs, and oblige. Mateh Eamiuas. GOVERNMENT HOUSE GROUNDS. TO E'JirOE. S'R. —Is ?"t not a pity these p'easant gionuds are virtually dosed to the general public, while the residence is not occupied ie 1 months out of the twelve. The alternoon or evening band pei formanceo are a great treat to the public, aud it wou'd be a boon if they could be renewed twice or thrice weekly during the summer mouths. But, either way, the grounds might be open so long as the permission was not misused by the general public, seeing how little this p'aee is required by His Excellency the Governor.—lam, &c., Vidi. AUCKLAND HO.3PITAL. TO THE EDTTOS. Sir, —Read'ir; a lettr in your issue of yes'e.'d.'v referring .'o the above institutiou h; 3 suggested to me the idea of put'i the mr.ttci- of its before the in a W?.? that I believe to be reasonrb.'e and truthfu' ; and I shall be glad if the publio can be got to feel an interest similar to what " Desideratum " evidently does, ao tha'; they m'jht '."ke a practic:\l way t> work to briug at; rat ome improvement. With this latter object i:i -\iew, the members of Parliament sh iu)d be asked to influence the Gove.-nment to grant sufficient money for faic expenditure, so that the nurses that have charge of the wards be paid for their services, whereas now, the work being done by patients, some of the sufferers are liable to be told, when they want anything done, that they (the wardsmen) are only patients the same as themselves; are even sometimes sworn at, and told that their ch : ef -oncem is not attendance on the bi'. lc, but to keep the floors clean; also 'hr-t a more generous diet might be supplied, for it is very evident that one fowl (and that one not always eatable) per day is far too little for an institution of this sort, where a hundred patents are treated. And, again, if patients are put on milk, it is quite common for them to be days before they can get any ; also a better supply of vegetables. Dr. Piiilson should at once cause strict inspection of the provisions that are supplied by tiie contractors, so that the present five allowed might not be at times unwholesome and uneatable. It would bs un.easonable to expect from Dr. Philson the sympathy that ought only to be expected from good nurses (perhaps female, but on that point I do not feel compe'eut to express an opinion). He displays the best sort of sympathy that most patients require —namely, undoubtedly very great skill and interest in tho practice of his profession, nerve that is equal to any and every occasion, and a reliability and readiness at all times to do all that lies in his power tor those that come under his charge, his kindness to old people especially being very notable. Dr. Philson's great fault in his administration of the hospital consists in his over-solicitousness to work it at too little cost, at the instance, I presume, of the Government, that most likely are always urging economy. Let him therefore make the contractors supply good article 3, and the public urge the Government, through their members, to do their part, and the hospital might, I believe, be made as perfect a3 any public institution of the sort could reasonably be expected to be, and be a credit to the colony and civilisation. —lam, Sc., As Ex-Patient. Auckland, December 22, ISSI.