POLITICAL NOTES.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10763, 17 September 1900, Page 5

POLITICAL NOTES.

(SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, September 16, RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

The Premier informed a deputation of Auckland members o£ Parliament that the Government would provide funds for carrying on the construction of branch: Hues of railway, and still have enough left for tie North. Island Main Trunk Railway without trenching on the moneys for the Sooth Island lines. The fair thing was that-there should be a reasonable increase all round, giving preference to the North Island Mam Trunk line.

Malm la, the Maori King, arrived here in the Tutanekai last night. Owing to the rainy and boisterous weather there was no formaj reception. This evening I met Mr Seddon conducting the Maori King through Parliament House, and was honoured trifth an introduction to "his Majesty," lsk Prime Minister, and his Private Secretary. <

The Premier has given an order to local photographers for some thousands of the photographs taken on 'his recent Pacific island cruise., and now that tbe fact baa been made public for the first time there w.ill no doubt be some curiosity as to th* object the Premier has in view. Quite a large number of the photographs are groups, in which the Premier himself figures along with kings and queens and other natives of the South Pacific Hands. The order is to be completed within a fortnight, but sucb is jthe magnitude of it that the locai photographers are not likely to be up to time with the work. Some of the negatives bare even been sent up to Napier, where a local photographer states that* lie eJ&a has some thousands to print. It is just possible that these pictures are for distribution amongst the islanders in furtherance of Mr Seddon's islands federation scheme..