THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2043, 22 July 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1875.

The correspondence laid before the General Assembly on Tuesday; regarding Sir Julius Vogel's illness and the conduct of Immigration by the AgentGeneral (a telegraphic summary of which appeared in our columns yesterday) will, it is hoped, remove any remnant of unbelief which may exist in.the minds of persons who have misrepresented the ex-Premier, or who may have felt called upon.to defend the Agent-General in his absence. In the one case the medical certificate of .Drs .Gull and Garrod ought to be sufficient to convince the most sceptical that Mr Vogel has been—not indisposed, but seriously ill —a martyr to that most insidious torment, gout. Dr, or Sir William Gull, is, we believe, the physician who attended tho Prince of Wales during the serious attack of typhoid fever; and n6t even the most bitter enemy of Mr Vogel will have the temerity to say now that the absent Minister is, or was at the time of his reported illness, enjoying "robust health." Of Dr. Garrod we know nothing, but the fact of his calling in a physician of eminence like Sir William Gull should be sufficient as a guarantee

of liis reliability; and the joint cerlifi cate of these two M.D.'s ought to satisfy the most credulous that Sir Julius Togel's absence from his proper place in Parliament is enforced. But we have no wish to enlarge upon this phase of the [correspondence. We really regard it as a matter of regret that it should have been considered necessary to publish Sir Julius Vogel's letter and the certificate accompanying it; which it appears has been done in refutation of the slanderous statements made by a certain section of the Press simply because it happens to be opposed to Mr Vogel in politics. : Or, if not not that^irqm a base desire to injure an absent man at the expense of truth and honesty. The only reparation that these writers who have persistently maligned the absent can how make, is to admit that their sources of information were false; but this they will not ;have the generosity to do, however forcible the proof that they have done a grievous wrong to an individual, and to the Colony in whose service he has aggravated a painful disease by over work. We can pass over the correspondence relating to' Sir Julius Vogel, and turn to the matters affecting, and reflecting upon the Agent-G-enoral's Department at home, more particularly those duties required of DrJFeatberstonc in carrying'out the instructions of the Government regarding immigration. This is a matter which concerns us all. The system of immigration as lately carried out has been of a most expensive character, and the Colony had a right to expect that a well paid official, possessing experience of the Colony's requirements, would at least exert himself to obey as closely as possible the instructions of Ministers. Allowances could be made for many shortcomings, but the' utmost latitxide being allowed, the correspondence'published discloses on the part of the Agent-General a studied disregard of instructions received, and a most culpable indifference as to the success of the great scheme, in forwarding which he was supposed to be an earnestworker. Moreover, the tone adopted in his letters evidences a supreme contempt for his advisers, the administrators of the Government, who are responsible to the Parliament for the acts of their servants ; of whom Dr Featherstone was one, without any real responsibility attaching to him if he but acted as directed. We question very much if any colonial records could furnish such specimens of correspondence as those embodied in the telegram we published yesterday; and the only wonder is that the AgentGeneral was not summarily recalled or dismissed when the Ministry "found that to their repeated remonstrances the Doctor answered in terms of " intolerable disrespect," or allowed their instructions to pass unheeded. The whole scandal connected with the conduct of immigration, which has been commented upon in unmeasured terms, during the last twelve months/seems traceable to the AgentGeneral. The only explanation of a plausible nature afforded is that referring to the French ballet troupe, whose performances after their arrival in Auckland delighted or disgusted people (according to taste) some months ago. These people represented themselves to be what they were not; and unless the Agent-General had been in the habit of demanding certificates of character from every person presenting him or herself for a passage, he could scarcely refuse them a passage. But there are more flagrant cases of inattention to his duties than this. It is only necessary to refer to the want of ordinary supervision in regard to the granting of land certificates under the Immigrants Lands Act, 1873, displayed by the Agent-General—and that, too, after repeated remonstrances from j the Minister for Immigration. This Act i was framed purposely to assist the work of immigration, and was intended to offer inducements to persons to emigrate who would not be likely to do so under the ordinary circumstances or advantages conferred by merely granting free passages. It was also, we believe, inteuded to act as a counter inducement to desirable immigrants who might be hesitating between a choice of Canada and New Zealand as a field for their enterprise ; the former being most liberal in offers of j free land, always a strong bait for the I intending immigrant. But how do we find this Act being carried out ? We perceive.that hundreds were induced to i come out without the necessary certifi- i cates, having received only fair promises. J But we also find that Mr Passmore (and doubtless many others in similar positions who had the nouse to look after number one), a gentleman coming out as a paid servant of the Government, provided with a certificate for a free grant of land. This gentleman, engaged at ever so many hundred pounds a year, was led to believe that he would get a slice of the public estate, although engaged to per- j form a public duty for which he was j to be amply remunerated. t This instance J supplies such a glaring indifference to , the interests of the Colony, that, if no , other cause existed, we think the Governi ment would have fair grounds of comi plaint against the Agent-General; and wo i are surprised that he has not been rei called, or else informed that his services i would be dispensed with. The correspondence, however, furnishes ample 1 proof that New Zealand's business at , | home has been badly managed; and if | I no other service had been performed by Mr Vogel's visit than letting a little light into the conduct of matters at home, ' the Colony could not possibly have j reason to complain. What view the | Parliament will take of, the matter we 1 have no moans >f knowing ; but if mem- , hers are alive to the interests of their constituents, they cannot certainly withhold some measure of approval at the

course adoptedjby the Government, nor can they reasonably decline to support them for the stand they have talren against the obstructiveness, of the AgentGeneral, the mischievous effects of which . will be felt in-the Colony for a very long I time to come. ■;