AN-INTERVIEW.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 112, 4 February 1908, Page 8

AN-INTERVIEW.

" V HOLIDAY PI; RE Ai\D SIMPLE." , It'liisvljeeu 'a-holiday-pure, and simple';". . said the. Hon.-Hall-Jones to a Dominion re'porter ( oti of his trip to ,England; '■ 'Jaiidj-'to_ nip; 11 most, profitable one. .:in(ked;' s '" li'a'il. returned, in;' excellent''. 'Ihc-alth 1 aiitl"Spri'it's,'"an'(l: was oiie'e more .prih' ..pared to r take r ]ip.lijs, public life, from'..ivhicli' he. h'afr'iio : i;itciitiqh of withdrawing'.,! Under. ~nicdical*mst'rucEioii'lib had 'kept apart .from 'political. aiTairp 'hji_d'\s'prrics, and had studied' ;tlio jnoro',' momentous" question cf-"health' re-' Ncuperctidh, '.110 had travelled all over'Eiiglaiul ?I ."and, [parts "of 'Ireland in a lejsnr%, ; quiet, waj 1 , and' urith'out ; set, plans." The 'change- from~a life of r'outinb : .was very ex•traordinary," said the .Minister,' "but it had proVaKa-.itbtfdficidl'oHfr.-"^'--'' ■' ' . . f} 1 '.VniUTISEI'RAILWAYS. - ;p'iider "these rirciinistances the •••Minister icbiiki'li'ave'little 'to : about public matters.; ;H.o lialjl;not-'-gone'dteplv iiito railway' affair's •lot what he'had seen .'hoi thought -'oiir -systpm;'.'compared-' very favour-, • ahly ;witlV tliose/.'bf'.'thc'. companies at' Home. Our system 'dkVnqt'cpsfc anything like, theirs; expense'.was to he found- in the niiriiber of "unrequired, trains that..word run >to tlie' thci'compeiition for traffic. ' :Uiid^;;a\c»m(iiiicd. Ma'nhgdimsiit tlic number could; easily ;]bev : 'reduced; and,"'there was / a jfeo^meh't-''amoh'ifsom6• of -'tho. companies 'to anialga'ntat'e, but to what extent- this - would' lie.:brought;'',about ;it' ; was difficulty to say. There'were, proposals for tlic' nationalisation 'of-.-the line's,!'and' though • no'. doubt a loiif; ' 'day frpnf.abtu'a'l-'reah'satiw :tho idea seemed, l tdl .be ga'inihg,ground. ' TII6 amalgamation' of the. coiiipanies suggested somo of the imdesirablo./anjyects ,l .'ot ' ii ( similar system in /America.' .The Minister, saw no improvements ['lit: ;Houid".',tliat;, lie '.'.would, like to. introduce.' I We-were well abreast of the tirnes. Our ; present;'gaugo' was 'undoubtedly the best.for this 'country,;"and. where so miny new lines wpre'jaid:;dpwn',i.t:was less.' costly than. I .tho broader-'.gauge, avliieh' .some, advocated, .and it - served, .tlip, same purpose, especially 'in: the ihattor/of'liu'c duplication, .'.Which. was being' so largely,,'qairie.d,,6ii.

• , •-. •; • EMIGRATION. ; -." ;;New-..Zealand,' -said the Minister, was held in- high repute. at, Home, but-. England did not get onoiipi. news, ol' us. 'Store might-lip-' pear in . tlio -flomo'paper's of the principal things .'.that '.went on., here.' He had. heard' it.;hinted' that?,the Australian Governments were arranging for a greater .supply at Honie. ' Canada, had been greatly boomed, arid emigration there had resulted to all enormous.,.extent.,The.' effects' wore likely to prove tho reverse' of.beneficial, .for Canada was .iinablo_-to' absorb ,tho thousands that wont; out,' aii:d riian'y wcro returning'home for .w;orkC,:'..iThcC yarious., trades and . professions' vvcre:.,over-stocked,.,, .This' would tend to Canada's-disadvantage in the eiid. A new country/could only; absorb 'a certain, number, and .'immigration, should, be .conducted systematically.>.\Not .too many were required at one time, and careful.. selection sliouki bq made of the class of labour required. He believed that New Zealand would receive large numbers of .'.imitablo, immigrants' who would,corn's without persuasion as the natural advant-ages;'h'erq ,were ; maclo known.' ■/ trade. ' ~ ' Afr.- : visited Smithfield, and found .'that' New. Zealand -mutton - and lamb 'lipid its /own side .by-side with the English 'product,'-'and- showed;-'to advantage'-' compared''with the -Argentine arid nomo of the Australiair'artiolo.'' Retailers sold much' of it. as Home-grown,- biit that only found us a- greater market, and was different to tile disposal of '• inferiormeat- as New Zealand grown, T r In.regar'd to' preferential trade our tariff' of'; laat''sfiss|6i^j^eomed' to., bo well received, though he had heaiVl some, adverse comment i'on the 'new Australian tar'iff. In some cases theduty on British goods had •been so that in t-lio opinion of ;maiiy -people'exportation -would .suffer. "These, however, said the Minister, -were ■only'.'passing 'observations, for, as -he had stated, the trip was 1 one for health purposes. Ho was' glad to 'be back .in New Zealand among' old friendsimi'd familiar scenes, and to feel that "'he was )Vell again, and ready for work. ' /;;