Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1872.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1384, 25 July 1872, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1872.

The lion. John Hall, member for the Heathoate district in the House of Re jnesentatives, has accepted a scat, without portfolio, to represent the Ministry in the Legislative Council He has resigned his seat for Heathoote, and the new writ has been issued, returnable by the 3rd August. It is understood that Mr Cracroft Wilson will be a candidate for the vacant seat.

We observe that}Sew Zealand contributed only .£2,723 to the Suez mail subsidy for last year. From a telegram in the Herald, we notice that Mr T. JB. Gillies moved, in the House of Representatives yesterday, *' That the Government be requested to bring down, at as early a date as possible, the measure promised Jaw'- session for the purpose of dealing compudiensjvely with the whole subject of provincial institutions, aud of defining the functions of Provincial Councils."

The Wellington correspondent of the Southern Cross telegraphs that there is every indication that the opposing forces on the Education Bill will be very evenly matched. It is scarcely expected to pass this session. Southern papers state that Mr Brogden's navvies aie now quietly at work on the Picton railway. V We learn that a Permissive Bill is now law in New York. After a three hours' debate in the House of Astern bly at Albany, on the 16th April, a bill was passed by 6.7 votes against 41, to give the majority of the electors power to decide whether liquor shall be sold in any town or city in the state. Efforts were made to except lager beer and ale, lilt without success —From Pennsylvania, also, comes jjthe intelligence that the Local Option Act has been signed by the Governor of that state, and will come into effect next March. This iueasure provides that if the majority of the inhabitants in any town or county be against licence, then no licences shall be granted for the sale of spirituous, malt, vinous, or other intoxicating liquors in the said town or county until a majority vote in favor of licence. A vote on this question m\] be taken evcrv third year.

A new line of steamers, to be called the " State" line, will shortly be commenced between Clyde and New Fork. J t is stated that one-half of the Wesleyan Methodist ministers in England are total abstainers. According to a return laid before the Imperial Parliament recently, there are in the United Kingdom 2,671 brewers and 99,394 licensed victual ers. In Birmingham, a servant girl has been fined ,£2O and costs, with the alternative of two months' imprisonment, for obtaining a situation by means of a forged character ; and another servant girl was fined in a similar amount for giving the false character. The Lyitelton Times, July 18, says : —The members of the United Methodist Free Church are making considerable efforts in church extension. Not only ■ are several younq; men studying for the ministry in Obristchurch, but ministers of known standing and ability arc shortly expected from England, who, on their arrival, will at once proceed to their various stations on mis sionary work, under the superintendence of the Rev. M. Baxter.

A telegram from Nelson, dated 19th July, says :— *< There has been a great rainfall during the week. Since Monday [lsth] 8|- inches of rain have fallen. There have been heavy floods, and the approaches to bridges are greatiy damaged. The gale caused a tremendous sea on the bar, winch detained the s.s. Albiou outside for 23 hours.

A late Dunodin Evening Star say.? : —The cold must have been very .severe at Queenstown, for on three occasions last week the thermometer registered at the local observatory 20deg., being 12deg. below freezing point. As a result of the recent hard frosts, the young folks at Arrowtown, Otap;o, were able last week to slide through the first set and Sir Roger, to the strains of a band, and, according to the Observer, enjoyed the novelty of dancing on the ice immensely. Skating, too, was largely indulged in by the ma hirer portion of the townspeople. The erection of a Corn Exchange in Ohristchurch is about to be undertaken by a conrpauv just formed, under the name of " The Corn and Mercantile Exchange Company." The capital is fixed at ,£4,000, in £1 shares. A. patient in the Nelson Lunatic Asylum has died from suffocation caused through a piece of bread sticking in his throat. The Canterbury Press, July 19, says: —During the present week a large number of persons have been re-vaccin-ated, the telegrams respecting the spread of small-pox having created great uneasiness. A man recently died in Sydney at the age of 106 years. A northern paper says instructions have been issued to have the whole of the Armed Constabulary vac- ; ciliated. ! We observe from an English paper that Mr Hoffey, a temporary clerk at the Chatham dockyard, has been suspended for 21 days, without pay, for presuming to write to the Admiralty direct instead of through the head of his department, suggesting some improvements in iron shipbuilding. The "Anglo-Australian" in the Eu ropean Mail says ;—" lam glad to hear that the flax industry is looking up. J caught a rumor the other day, that a reliable company had been formed for cleansing and shipping this staple at a rate so reasonable chat success is almost certain. J hear that Mr C, Thome has received some sacking for corn and coalsacks made for him from his prepared fibre, by Mr A. K. Forbes, of Arbroath. The material is very strong, and will wear well. Mr Thome lias also received some ' Scotch ' sheeting made from the native-dressed Hax by Mr Forbes, and this is described as a really serviceable article. Tt looks as if it I was up to everlasting wear. T . should I add that the native-dressed flax referred j to was obtained from Dr. Feathorston. I

It- is a cheering thought that, dav by day, the fact that New Zealand flax will eventually take its place with other fibres adapted to the manufacture of textile fabrics becomes wore fullv established."

At a meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Mr Bathgate announced his intention of introducing a Bill during the present session of the General Assembly to reduce the legal rate of interest to 5 per cent. The Papakura correspondent of the Southern Cross writes as follows, under date 19th July :—On Thursday evening about 7 o'clock, Mrs Gray, wife of Thomas Gray, an old settler in Papa kura, reported to Constable Warlcer that her husband was dead or dying. The constable immediately proceeded to his house and found Gray lying partly on his face in bed quite dead and cold. On examining the body he found a wound on the face from which a considerable quantity of blood had flowed, which by appearance had been caused by some sharp instrument. Tt seems that the deceased and his wife had been quau-elling during the morning. Mrs Gray left the house about 11 o'clock, and vent to the Papakura Hotel, where she remained until about 4 in the afternoon, stating to the people at the hotel that she had left the old man ill in bed and had locked the door. From the unsatisfactory manner in which Mrs Gray answered the questions put to her by Constable Walker, he apprehended her on suspicion of being eoncerned in the old man's death and lodged her in the lock-up. The constable proceeded to Auckland on Thursday night to inform the coroner, and I have no doubt an inquest will be held on Friday. The deceased was about. 70 years of age, and his wife is about 50 years. Under the heading " An interval of twenty years," the Nelson Examiner writes, on the occasion of receiving the first direct telegrams :—A correspondent refers us to the Examiner of July, 1852, which announced the arrival in Nelson of die ship Persia from London after a passage of 155 days, with latest English dates. In our columns to day will be found the first through telegram from England to Sydney, telegraphed to us on Thursday ftom Auckland, giving English dates to the 22nd ult, only nineteen days previous. Asr soon as the Australian line is in, wo king order, we shall occasionally get English wows not more 'iuui a week old. '