THE PREMIER'

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 82, 31 December 1907, Page 5

THE PREMIER'

$ PROPOSED REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL. AN IMPOSSIBLE SUGGESTION. (DV TEI.MIMPH —PKESS ASSOCIATION.) Ghrlstchurch, Dogornber 30.' Sir Joseph Ward arrived direct from Auckland last evening by H.M.S. Powerful, and with Lady Ward, Miss Eileen Ward, and party, was entertained at dinner on the llags'hip, after which the Prime Minister, with his family, 'transferred into the Tutanekai, which was in .waiting at tho Heads, and proceoded direct to tho Bluff.When scon in roferenco to tho proposal to remove the capital to an inland situation, Sir Joseph said that tho time "had gone past whon it wa3 ■ possiblo to maka any change in that direction. _ Tho whole of tho Government departments, including tho head office of tho banking'iustitution, wero located at Wellington, and it would bo necossary to go back into the fastnesses of tho country to discover any place that was remote from tho sea border. ! The Prime Minister will bo present at tho Caledonian sports at Invercargill on Now Year's Day, and' will attend tho Bluff regatta on January 2. Ho will then proceed with his family to Stowart Island for a short holiday. In answer to a' question to-day, Sir Joseph Ward said he had been unable to arrange, as ho first anticipated, for the Koonya to take a limited number of passengers down to- tho ico when towing tho British Antarctic vessel Nimrod. Sir Jame3 Mills had tolegraphod to him stating that tho Koonya had no passenger accommodation available, besides which there were.other reasons, such as the necessity for taking oxtra stewards, etc., why tho proposal could not bo given offect to.