THE Hawkes Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. TUESDAY, 9TH DECEMBER, 1873.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1532, 9 December 1873, Page 42

THE Hawkes Bay Times. Nullius addiclus jurare in verba magistri. TUESDAY, 9TH DECEMBER, 1873.

Extensive practical illustration of tlie working of the ballot system has been afforded during the elections that have recently taken place in various parts of the Colony ; and though the system is by no means perfect, we think it has proved itself quite as efficient as its most sanguine promoters could have expected. Much improvement will doubtless be made in some details of its working during the next session 01. us its weak points have been exposed to view, and the necessary amendments in the law indicated. The personations and instances of dual voting which took place in Auckland, cannot fairly be laid to the charge of the system itself, as they were quite as capable of being carried on under the old system of open voting, as under the ballot, and it is well enough known that they were extensively practised under that system. The fault is that the new .system has not prevented—or, as it woitld appear, even tended to check—the evil. It will be necessary, therefore, to attach such penalties to the perpetration of this offence as shall he sufficiently deterrent to unscrupulous political partisans, who, while they have no regard for rectitude or morality, can be influenced by personal penal considerations. The remedy provided by the Act, so far as it falls on the candidate who has been made tine recipient of the personated or dual votes, is, we conceive, an error. In the case of dual votes, it is provided that both tlie original vote and its 'duplicate shall be subtracted, from the total number of votes recorded for the candidate to whom they have been given i thus:.: if, say,,fifty persons have been found to have voted twice for any candidate, his total,..aftev sent-'

tiny, would bo reduced by one hundred votes. This is perfectly right in cases where the candidate, or Ids agent, has been a party to the dual voting, but as it gives opportunity to the evil-disposed to injure a candidate by personating a voter who has recorded Ids vote in good faith, the penalty should be made to fall most heavily on any who are found to be guilty of such practices. Indirect bribery is also found to be practised under the new system, and this, we believe, can be materially provented by proper legislation. If it can be shown that any candidate has attempted to influence the minds of any body of electors by the temptation of contingent pecuniary benefit in the case of his election, such candidate should be adjudged as guilty of corrupt practises, and his election declared void. It is said that a number of such promises were made during the recent contest for the Auckland fchiperin tendency, as that, if elected, the candidate would make such and such contributions to such and such funds, thus giving those connected with these funds a pecuniary interest in the result of the contest. If such a practice bo not regarded as bribery under the Ballot Act, it certainly ought to be made so on the very first opportunity afforded the Legislature. Under tbc new system, the element of uncertainty is introduced into the calculations of the candidates for an election to a much greater extent than hitherto. It is amusing to read how confident each candidate is of success before the crucial test of the ballot is applied, and how disappointed the defeated candidates appear at the result. It was not uncommon, in the days of open voting, to find the existence of this false confidence, and to hear a defeated candidate assert that, if promises made to him had been performed, he would have been elected; but it is perhaps to be expected that secret voting would intensify the practice of promising all round to satisfy importunate canvassers. We see no remedy for this state of things short ol making it illegal to canvas or to ask an elector to vote in a particular way. This would be scarcely practicable, nor does the evil appear to be so great as to call for so extreme a remedy. The lesson taught to candidates is not to be sure of success until the ballot boxes have been opened, and the result made known. On the whole, we think it may be said that the ballot system has worked well. It has shown that there were no sufficient grounds for the fear of those who so strongly opposed its introduction ; and although not perfect in its action as securing purity of election, it is infinitely preferable to the old system. What is more, its working, so far, has shown where it is capable of amendment by future legislation, and if it cannot bo made perfect, at least it is capable of being brought nearer to perfection.

"We arc glad to record that Mr Garry has met with complete success with the artesian well on the site of the Napier Railway Station. He tapped water yesterday at a depth of IGO feet. There was a splendid flow, the water welling up eighteen inches above the top of the. pipe. Jurors will observe that the adjourned ciniiiiiil sitting of the Supreme Court takes place on Thursday at 10 a.m. Messrs Chapman and Beda, acrobats and prestidigitators, have given three successful entertainments in the t kidfellows' Hall to good houses. Mr Beda s benefit is fixed for this evening. We regret to hear that a little girl, niece of Mr M'Dougall, Waipawa. wandered from her home on Friday last, and though diligent search had been made, was not discovered up to Sunday afternoon. Mails for Europe and X&mkn, via San Francisco, close to-morrow at .the Chief Tost Office, Napier. A cricket match, Married v. Single, took place at Meanee on Saturday. Our reporter was not present, and we therefore quote the total scores; froaa our contemporary the Herald :—Married, Gl; Single, 42,