A DAY WITH THE PREMIER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 8

A DAY WITH THE PREMIER.

FROM TAIHAPE TO MARTINBOROUGH. " FETING AND FLYING. THK STRENUOUS LIFE. Being awakened at 5 a.m. after a late banquet the night before is no, pleasanter at Taihapc than anywhere else. But the Premier was duo at Martiiiborongh, 152 miles away, Jit midday, and his special ,train was already at the station and would start in three-quarters of an hour. A hurried cup of tea and a biscuit,' then out into tlio cool Taihapo morninjf air and a walk, ankle deep, in tho papa dust of the Taihape streets to tho station. The snn loomed yellow and round through a heavy mist—partly fog and partly smoke.' The station was empty of tho dreaded deputation, and in a few minutes tho semaphore was down and tho light 'f special," quivering with each pulsation of tho engine, w;as bounding and swaying away south. The Premier mentally looked ahead . . . ~a heavy afternoon, and a late banquet at night; ho had left a banquet the

night before, a;i(l tho night . before that again; a whole back list of them down south the week previously, and, with much sleep to be made up, he' sought his couch in a little compartment of the carriage, and there trusted to luck to continue his disturbed repose. ! The Run from Taihape, Meantime the miles are being left behind. Ahead and around hangs dense, fog. Trees fifty away,are phantom-like and shapeless, and .tho ongine tears round bends and through cuttings as if into white obscurity. Tho up-grades are taken without a pant, and tho slppes in a breathless, rush. A clatter of. " points," and little Utiku, with its' rapidly-increasing houses and its stacks 'of- timber from the mill over 1 tho river, is left behind. , At 6.0: o'clock Mangaweka is visible ahead and below through tho opening mist,. and beyond,- aro tho scarred papa cliifs frowning ugly and indistinct abovo tho ever-wearing Rangitikei : river. "Without a .stop the train rattles on, through d tunnel and up among the hills and cuttings again. Then the sun comes out, and the hills of boautiful bush across tho river show through the fog, touched here and, tliero . with a . stray moving, white fleece. Now the i line stretches across flats covered with lirairiant, grass a,nd studded here and there-with square paddocks of hoalthy, half'grown oats and potatoes'; The wealth of the soil is 'strikingly obvious; the succulent long grass has quite refused, to bo eriten down, and everything is green and spring-like.. But here is neat Ohingaiti ; tho mis-pronounced, with its complacent air of civilisation, ana its dusty streets ; and a fow miles later on the sickening heights of tho Makohine viaduct aro crossed, the green floor of which is nearly 300 feet down. Then past the old Mangonoho workshops, where, years ago, the Makohine viaduct was manufactured, and -which was once, a scene of great activity,' but which is now a collection of rusty sheds. And so on through Hunterville \vithout a stop to more ( elderly Marton Junction, where a halt is made for a cup of tea, and then, .away again, without: a minute to spare, still through richly green country,, to Feilding and Palnierston, ,the latter of which is reached at 8.30 o'clock—-75 miles in 2J hours. Here breakfast is waiting, and the Premier appears for the first time.

To the Wairarapa. Another start at nine o'clock, and with time to make up to prevent interference with traffic. From tho carnage window, in the Manawatu Gorge, eight big slips, are counted on the traffic road across tho river. On the .other sido/of-tho Tararuas there are tho same-green fields and ploutiful feed. As WoodviHe is left, tho Premier," with his two secretaries, has settled down to work to clear up tho.mail. Tho typewriters click as tho shorthand notes aro road off. Ono, stop only is mado by the special on this run and that to fill tho tanks of tho heavy engine/. " Along this lino the-/" tabletsystem ; ia in vogue, :and it makes one shudder to seo the fireman oil the engino box and an official at. each station exchange tablet loops at tho gallop. "Ono day," remarks someone, ." thero', will bo a fearful accidorit. It only requires a twist of tho wrist." Eketahuna is reached at 10.20, and llasterton at mid-day, but, when tho train ran out on to the Wairarapa plains, in-placo of tlio green paddocks wero yelloW and dried-up grass and crops that told of a long season of 'drought—-a long season, because tho plain is ordinarily well watered. At tho' Mastbrton station tho Premier suggests a ! cup of tea. Half an hour later, the morning's run to Featherston stands completed, but there is still a motor car, ride of eleven miles eastward-towards tho ooa-st to Martinborough. Tho ride, in threo large cars,'is along level roads, but roads sadly out of-.repair ' through over-use and bad metal, and standing inches deep in dust. Tho motors-buzz, and presently full twenty-horse-power is aquivertng on a twenty-fivo-mile-an-hour run, throwing up clouds of dust, and covering tho occupants of tho cars! with a grey pall. • A howling gale is blowing astern, but tho broezo comes from the front. ' ' / .

An Unpieasant Contrast. Bowling through the country ono cannot but note the contrast here with the greenness of tho landscape in tho Rangitikei and Maiiawatu, and other districts passed during the morning. The explanation came later; the district is-suffering from a five weeks' spell of dry weather, and this most productive of all places is now yellow instead of green, and even if rain came it probably would bo too late to enable only average yields to be given. Streams and water channels are mostly dried up. and the trees are grey with dust. Tho motorist soon acquires a ravenous appetite for speed; at 40 miles an hour ho cries out for more. Speed is an intoxicant —more dangerous than liquor. But, irrespective of the racing capacities of tho cars of Messrs., Matthews, Bidwill, and J. Martin, the Premier was allowed to nln first into Martinborough.

At Mar.tinborough. Arrangements by tho good Martinborough folk were evidently tongued' and grooved. Tho preseritation of an address and an exceedingly hearty welcome were first disposed of, and then to . luncheon I It was 110 ordinary luncheon. \ It was a Martinborough luncheon,, and the wholo entertainment of tno afternoon was to l>oar the same imprint. The toasts were honoured amid a proper popping of champagne corks, that of "The Guest" being ingeniously coupled (as the Premier himself remarked) with tho groatest want of tho district — a branch lino with Martinborough. , When tho Hon. J. Carroll was in Martinborough 1 recently with a parliamentary party, the inhabitants swore then that the.v would havo the Preriiier up soon to hear of their great desire, and nor,- they had kept their word. The visit'had mainly to do with this; matter. Tho Promier in his promises went as far as lie could with safety, but it looked as if Martinborough would' get the line.

Opsning a Bridge. Aftor luncheon there rame more motor racing down some pleasant .slopos to the Huangaroa bridge, which the Premier was to opbn. Tile vitr, from the head of the Huangaroa vadoy was one of peace and plenty. And to those settlers on the far side of the river the bridge was to bring greater contentment and happiness. The opening ceremony was much the samo as the hundreds that have procedod it, except that all were happy, pleased with themselves, pleased with their bright dresses, pleased with tho Premier and with tho bridge. Yet 0110 moro.cup of tea at an adjacout Maori pah, an-1 then it was a caso of the Premier simply tcaiing himself away or delaying trains.: A fow ' moro people wore hurriedly rushed up at the last moment to be introduced, ilion the motor cars hummed again, and, gathering up speed and dust—a largo quantity of each —scurried back to Feathorston. ' Horo there was moro refreshment; but at last all ties were broken, and the Premier was'ablo to retire—to dress for a function at Wellington, for which he was already late.. At the. Wellington , Station another deputation was waiting to interview .j, „ _ _ _ ... ...