A MINISTER' HONOURED.

BANQUET TO MR. BOLLARD. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] BAGLAN, Friday. A tribute to the person.il popularity of the Hon. R. F. Bollard in his electorate, was paid this evening when some 60 constituents gathered at a banquet given in his honour in the Raglan Town Hal!. • Mr. T. Parker, chairman of the Raglan Town Board, presided and in proposing the toast of the Minister, spoke, very, highly of the valuable services rendered: to the district by Mr. Bollard during the 14 years that he had represented it in Parliament. All Mr. Bollard's constituents, he was sure, appreciated his promotion to Ministerial rank.

The. toast was enthusiastically received. Mr. Bollard,- in replying, thanked the chairman for his appreciative remarks, and expressed his confidence in the future of the Raglan district-. The gathering also drank a toast in honour of Mi-. R. Campbell Johnstone, a former opponent of Mr. Bollard, but now a firm friend, and hj«; was congratulated on his election to the Auckland Harbour. Board and re-election to the Raglan County Council and Wiikato Hospital Board. ' ' Thanks were expressed in the form of. a toast to Mr. Teawarutu, who gave the land which enabled the Raglan Town Board to construct the new bridge across the Opotoru Creek. The bridge is to be opened to-morrow by Mr. Bollard: