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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 756, 27 January 1870, Page 3

Thp New York Tribune thus expresses itself on the subject of American Legislature —The venal and corrupt legislation which has cursed and shamed our state (with others) is a direct and natural result of corruption among the people. The stream does not rise aboye the fountain head. An unscrupulous, unprincipled fellow hears that he could make money if a legislator, and resolves to try. Having been nominated, he buys votes wherever he can thus obtain them, and goes to Albany S2OOO or §3OOO out of pocket, and fully resolved to make it up. His pay is but S3OO for the session, which will not pay his board j and he thus makes au ex-

(] for selling his rote as often as he. dare But for bribery, he would never hav been nominated or ejected j now, briber T ' must make him whole hi tlaepocket—am e it does. He sells himself as (often and fo l as much as possible, reimburses his outlay j and goes home with full pockets, a searec conscience, and a blasted name. Sucl: ’ is the history of many, and each succeed" K ing winter adds to to their number. The present state of native affairs is . described in the following gloomy terms . in a late article in the New Zealand Herald: —“Te Kooti rambles about the country at pleasure, without let or hindrance from ’ any of the different small armies which are ' supposed to be actively engaged against : him, and when he can no longer induce . the king and his party to join him, prepares to make a descent upon our settle- ( ments. We have Colonel M'Donnell in the field somewhere or other, with a force ■ supposed to be specially adapted to the ’ work of catching or killing Te Kooti. Topia and Mete Kingi, with a very considerable force, armed with our very best weapons, are also ‘in the field.’ Snatches of intelligence are occasionally found in the newspapers informing us that our troops are near To Kooti, that the latter is in a certain place, that he will soon be hemmed in and taken- Our hopes used to be raised when we read such intelligence, and there was a vague impression formed that Te Kooti was at last really likely to be taken, dead or alive, and his band routed, and the rebellion stamped out. But the next news, instead of giving the pleasing intelligence hoped fox’, always informs us that bo is safe and sound in some other place, without the slightest idea , of as yet being caught in any of the traps laid for him, or taken by any of the forces ! that are on the look-out for him. He ap- ‘ pears to be almost übiquitous, and seems ■ as safe from our foi’ces in the open plain, \ and travelling on the verge of our Waikato . settlements, as fie is in the fastnesses of the CJriwera country. He is master of the • situation, and has been so for many a < long and weax’y and very expensive month. < With a couple of hundred men, hampered { with women and children, he wanders about wherever it may please him, apparently, and no disposition of oar foi’ces, 1 no carrying out of any plan of a campaign, ] appears to be of much avail against Te . Kooti. Our colonels and commanders, whether European or native, with all their men, have been so far unable to stop tlx 1 career of this murderous rebel.” This is ' from a paper which supports the present 1 Grovemment. It is worthy of note, too, , that the present expensive operations are not being carried on in “an inaccessible country,” and that this is not ‘hthe worst 1 season of the year.” i

Needlewomen in New York. — The New York Tribune publishes the following account of the earnings of the needlewomen of that city under a system of protection : —“A widow, having others besides hers If to support, gets only 6s a dozen for making first quality or No. 1 shirts, such as sell as 12s each, ‘which must be as beautiful and neat as can be. The bosoms come ready made, it is true, but they must be set in, and all the shirt done complete. Although she is a remarkably swift sewer, and uses a machine, she can only make two shirts a day by working from daylight to the middle of the night. G-ener-ally it is called fast work to make three shirts in two days.’ For slop-made shirts, which sell at Ss each, she gets 5s a dozen, while a third quality are made for 3s a dozen. Other kinds of work pay no bettor. Linen coats, with three pockets, are made for each; fancy ttumtl shirts, with turn-over collars and culls, 3d ; and heavy cloth pantaloons, from 9J to Is per pair, though, if given out to men, which is seldom done, the price is from 3s to 4s. Our authority adds that the names of the women to whom these prices are oaid, us well as the men who pay them, are known, but are withheld for the reason that, if given, the poor half-starved vvotpen Jiving in cellars and crowded places will be deprived of work even at these rates. As a skilful seamstress can only earn 4s 6d for a long and faithful week’s work, it is manifest that with this insigai cant sura little more can be bought than the plainest food, leaving fuel, clothing, and rent to be provided by other moans by means that may be surmised.” The Transit or Yenus in 1874- — Auckland is one of the stations fixed upon for the observations to be made in 1874 of the transit of Yenus. The European Mail says : —“The Astronomer Royal is wisely making arrangements in good time for observing the transits which will take place in the years 1874 and 1882. The event is one of considerable interest and value to scientific men, and it is therefore desirable that it should bo viewed from those parts of the earth’s surface where it can bo best observed. The stations fixed upon for 1874 are Oahu (one of the Sandwich Islands), Kerguleu Island (in the Indian Ocean), Rodriquez (a dependency of the Mauritius), Auckland (New Zealand), and Alexandria. Loth the Admiralty and the Treasury have responded with alacrity to the appeal which has been made to them for lime's. Mr Warren de la Rue is of opinion that photography may be used with the utmost advantage for registering the transit.” 1874 is a long way offyet, but it is gratifying to know that at that time New Zealand will probably be visited by some of the leading astronomers of the day. Such a visit should be made the most of to advance the interests of science in this colony.