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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 675, 22 April 1869, Page 3

BEIBERY AND CoitKTJPTION. —To the excitement of tho elections has succeeded that of the election petitions, which three judges are busily trying. The accused gentlemen es aped, but two members have been less lucky in England, Sir 11. Tracey and Sir R. Glass having been obj to for bribery by their agents, and in Ireland Mr Whitworth has been similarly unfortunate, by reason of intimidation by priests. More interest attaches to a case now being heard, that of Mr Foster, the vice-Presi-dent of the Council, whoso scat at Bedford is assailed. The judges are doing their work carefully and satisfactorily, and are not imiulging in any sudden severity, and there is no doubt of the justice of the decisions hitherto given. The penalty of abstinence for seven years feom any election work has been inliicted by Mr Justice Blackburn upon a solicitor and his clerk, vour eneourager les autres. It is perfectly manifest, however, that candidates will in time find it necessary to adopt some new system, as the misconduct or folly of a single recognized agent (and the giving a man a canvassing book is creating agency) now loses the seat. It will be a good day when canvassing is entirely done away with. Some, who wish to go further, have bcon trying an experiment at Manchester, in favor of the ballot, and hare induced some 7,000 out of 30,000 to vote secretly on the question whether Mr Milner Gibeon or Mr Ernest Jones should be supported by the Liberals in the event of an expected vacancy. The trial proved needless, Mr Ernest Jones, who was in failing health, having expired two days after his victory. But the proceeding comes to little, except to Bhow how small a portion of the Liberal constituency cared to go into the unauthorized contest, or to be bound by the result—there was no struggle, and no call upon electioneering ingenuity. —Home Jfews.

New Zealand and the Wooii Supply. —The Times of Dec. 8 says :—For soma years past the Bradford Chamber of Commerce have made some efforts by the diffusion of printed information, through Hep M.ijjsty's Consuls in the colonies and other countries, on the subject of the growth of wool required in the various seats of its consumption in England. At the last monthly meeting the other day of the Council of the Bradford Chamber, Mr H. W. "Ripley, M.P., in the chair, a letter was read from Mr •R. F. Cuthbertson, dated Otahu, Southland, New Zealand, June 1, on the subject of wool supply as counected with that country. "In New Zealand, and especiilly in the southern portion of it," said the writer, "far more attention has hitherto been paid by wool-growers to the quantity than the quality. In a young country this is more a matter of necessity than of choice; but now that we have more facilities for doing so, some attention is being paid to the production of an article superior to what has hitherto obtained. . . . . . The climate of the southern portion of New Zealand is much colder than that of Victoria, whence our original supplies of stock have been chiefly obtained. It is, however, a much more temperate climate than that of England, l'or, while our summers are warmer our winters are much less severe. Unless in exceptional season?, snow seldom lies on the ground for more than a day or two; ice fit to skate upon is all but unknown. Of wind and rain, however, we have plenty. May, June, July, and August are supposed to be our winter months, while during the rest of the year fine weather is expected. Stock of all kinds receive no additional afw tention during winter, and to provide artificial food would simply be as impossible, aa it is usually unnecessary. Most of our flocks were originally composed of merinos, obtained from Victoria, and their progeny became coarser and long-woolied, the na» tural effect of our climate. Some of our sheepowners in the hope of improving their flocks, have employed Leicester, or halfbred Leicester, rams, the result being halfbred or quarter-bred sheep respectively." Mr Cuthbertson then puts some queries as to the be9t wool suitable for the Bradford market, and also as to the point the New Zealand wool grower should endeavor to attain in future efforts to improve his stock. The Chairman said that he thought it was desirable that there should be a meeting of the Wool Supply Committee as soon as possible to consider this and other communications. In his opinou the timo was come when they might again, draw up and print for circulation some information on the subject of wool production. Mr Oddy thought the New Zealand letter contained a great deal of valuable information. If the climate were such a a was described, he thought that long wooL might be produced there, and it was desirabfe that the Chamber should encourage that as much as possible. The letter was referred to the Wool Supply Committee. The Vaccination Act. —In view of the fact that the small-pox, is slowly, but surely, spreading in Melbourne, and that there is a possibility of the infection being conveyed to this colony, it will be well for parents to attend to the requirements of the following sections of the Vaccination Act: —The parent of every unvaccinated child born in New Zealand after the first day of March, 1869, shall, within six calendar months after the birth of such child, take it or cause it to be taken to a medical practitioner, or to the medical officer ap« pointed for the town within which the said child is resident, for the purpose of being vaccinated ; and the said medical officer uppointed shall thereupon, or as soon after as it may properly be done, vaccinate the ;«aid child. Upon the eighth day following tho day on which any child has been vaccinated, as aforesaid, the parent of the child shall again take s or cause to be taken, the said child to the medical officers by whom the operation was performed in order that such medical practitioner or or medical officer may ascertain by inspection tho result of such operation,— Evening Post. Loud Napier pob New Zealand.—The Otago Daily Times states that in a letter from a military officer of rank to a gentleman residing in Dunedin, dated about the end of January, it is stated that there is a report in English military circles that Lord Napier of Magdala is to be despatched to New Zealand to organise a native force. This is great news for us, no doubt, if it is true, Lord Napier's name alone being a tower of strength ; but even he with all his skill bravery and tact, could never organise a purely native force reliable enough and under sufficient control to ex* tinguish thoroughly the rebellion, and establish order throughout the colony on a permanent basis. If Lord Napier were to come at the head of four Kegiments of his Abvssinkn troops, or were ho empowered to raise a force of trained men in England or India—abundant materials for which are to bo found-to be supplemented by native corps of guides, then we might well say the date of his arrival would be a "great day for New Zealand ;" but while our sole dependence is on the Maoris, whose secret sympathies are with their countrymen, who look upon us as invaders, and render us unwilling aid, all our military operations, however skilfully conducted, must end in disaster.—Evening Post.