THE PREMIER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 87, 14 April 1899, Page 3

THE PREMIER.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLING TON, Wednesday

After some hours' waiting-, I managed to obtain v walking interview with the Premier on his way home to dinner at a quarter past six last evening. En passant, I may say Mr Seddon is about the hardest working man in New Zealand, and nothing less than an iron constitution could sustain the 'horrid grind' of unceasing deiratations, demands for interviews with all sorts and conditions of men and women, despite the efforts* of the ancient janitor to stem the tide, shoals of billet hunters on behalf of themselves, relatives, or friends, members of Parliament preferring requests for roads and bridges, and votes in aid — 'et hoe genus omnes—a daleidoscopic procession of import\mate interviewers, to say nothing of heads and secretaries of departments bearing piles of returns, correspondence, etc. For three days past I made repeated butineffectual attempts to see the Premier, but the continuous procession blocked the way. I learned to-da} r from one of the secretaries that after a long day's work yesterday Mr Seddon was engaged on a huge pile of papers until past four o'clock this morning, and he was again at his post to-day at an hour when many of the upper ten and professional people are sitting down to breakfast. The Premier leaves by train for New Plymouth to-morrow morning. He will deliver a political address at Opunake by invitation of the electors of the district, returning to New Plymonth in time to attend the banquet which is to be tendered him on Monday night.