THE HON J. A. MILLAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8943, 31 May 1907, Page 3

THE HON J. A. MILLAR.

r-~fr. A VISIT TO CHRISTCHURCH. Tho Hon J. A. Millar, after a strenuous tour of eight weeks' duration in the North Island, in Christchurch this morning and left for the south by the second express. Mr Millar, who is looking very fit and well' after his joumeyings to and fro in the foreign lands of the north, admits that he is ready for an arduous session and some prolonged fighting. When seen by a " Star " reporter, Mr Millar declined to be drawn upon the question of the tariff aoid the " free breakfast table." Tariff revision would occupy the attention of the House dur- ■ ing the coming session, but just what ; shape it would take would be for the House to aettle. With regard to the • rise in the price of flour and the consequent increase in the price of bread, i that was more a matter for settling the . responsibilities of the Millers' Trust. - lnferentially it was gathered that Par- > iiament might have something to say i upon this matter also, in view of the ( increased cast of living. Referring to the workmen's homes, which had been such a bone of con- ' tention in certain quarters, Mr Millar *■ stated that all the houses built at. > Petone, with on© exception, had now • been let. Tenders had been called for > the erection of ten houses in Coro>t inandel Street, Newton, in Wellington, , and four more were to be built at JSUerslie. Th© homes in Dunedin were nearjng completion, and there was no fear that these would not be quickly, appropriated. The plans for the twelve new houses at Sydenham had been sent back for revision, but there would be i no delay in starting their erection. ' Speaking of the abandonment of the ■ Buryey of the New Zealand coast which the Government had^proposed to undertake, Mr Millar said that it had been : found necessary to at any rate postpone the survey, Vacause the Imperial Government had declined to supply a • vessel to undertake the work. The • Hinemoa was not suitable, and the : Tutanekai could not be spared on ac- • count of the cables requiring her con- [ stant attention. It would cost £30,000 to equip a suitable vessel, and in the . meantime such an expenditure by the , colony was not justified by the im- : portance of the work. • Asked regarding the trawling experi- • mente by the Nora Niven, Mr Millar 1 said that the programme for the , trawler's operations had already been ' published in full. T3ie vessel would begin operations on Monday next. On her way down from Napier to Wellington ahe had been very successful in some casual trawling, and had secured over a thousand bundles of excellent fish, many of large size. This result of unorganised operations led him to expect great things from a systematic exploitation of the colony's fishing grounds. Questioned concerning the health of the Acting-Premier, Mr Millar said that all Mr Hall-Jones wanted was a rest. His colleagues were doing everything they could to ease him of work, and there was no reason to suppose that • he would not make a. speedy and com- . plete recovery. The Premier, he L added, now expected to be back in the colony before the eession opened on June 27, and if the connections he was L aiming at were completed he would be ■ in his place by that date. • Mr Millar will be busy with departmental work in Dunedin to-moorow, and on Monday he will inspect the new workmen's homes at Windle. On Tuesday he will open the Dunedin Winter Show in the morning and at night will address his constituents. He will leave again for the north by the first express on Wednesday, travelling • to Wellington on the same night. On arrival in ChristchuTch he will be inter- . viewed, by appointment, by a deputation from the Industrial Association. The deputation will submit to him the advisableraeES of the Government lend- ' ing its countenance to some method of " stamping high grade colonialiy-made goods, in order that the public may \ know what they are buying.

A scheme is on foot for placing 200 , or 300 motor-cabs in the ertreets of Manchester.