THE PREMIER AT DUNEDIN

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 152, 24 December 1903, Page 6

THE PREMIER AT DUNEDIN

[bt TELEonArn — fiiess DUNEDIN, 23rd December. ' Mr. Seddon has been besieged with deputations, which lasted five hours. The principal one woh from tho Teachom' Executive of .the Schools' Conference re the syllabus. The deputation ako asked for tho abolition of the ago limit in National Scholarships ; in place thereof the State to call on tho parents of success- i ful candidates to enter into a bond that tho children ahall go through the entire secondary school course. Mr. Seddon Siroinised to suspend the syllabus till the luly Conference of experts. Meanwhile, ; ho was determined to make tho primary school cour.se effective and .utilitarian, at the samo time avoiding all nemblance nf , cram. To tho Kindergarten Association he ' replied that if assistance by way of sub- ' j sidy were to bo given it would havo to < be on a comprehensive plan, as it opened \ Up a national question, and these organi- 1 sations .would havo to submit to Govern- ; ment inspection. < xue Premier today unveiled a tablet at Caversham Industrial School ip honour < of ex-rjupils of the cchobl who took part in the Boer war. Ho also presented medals to about forty returned troopers of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Contingents, and subsequently unveiled a • memorial stone in tho Southern Cemetery j to the lato Mr. Arthur Ktorrison, M.H.It. < for Caversham. The Premier leaves to- i morrow for Christchurcb. , (Our Own Correspondent.) < DUNEDIN, This Day. ' Interviewed by tlio Parliamentary re- , porter of the Star this morning, the Pre- ' mier said that after visiting the West < Coast fof tho Now Year ho will return ] to Dunedin for a fortnight, when he will ' go on to Southland. A trip to tho Chat- ' hnm« will be made in tho Hinemoa in 1 tho second week in February. Lord Ran- ' I furly will also make the trip, but Mr«. : Soddon and family would not go. The ] Premier playfully observed : " I hope to j have the company of tho members for the i Chatham* " (Messrs. Lauronson and Taylor). 1 As an indication that earth-hunger still i existed, Mr. Seddon said ho had that i morning received intimation that there i were five hundred applicants for four- ■ teen sections opened at Tapanui yestef- < day, and more hind was asked for in the ; district. Questioned n« to (Tie revival of tho i rumour that he was going out of politics i »nd would not again meet Parliament, , iur. Seddon spoko with no uncertain ] noimd. He wild: "The stato of my 1 health is excellent, and as long an that ( continues and pcoplo aro satisfied, so am I. New Zealand is. quite good enough for me. My family are here and are content. When I relinquish politics hero it will bo because my hoalth rfecessitates ♦hnt step, .and then I shall lay down with the gravel." Mr. Seddon said some drastic changes in tho personnel of tho Greymouth Harbour Board were necessary. No decision, however, had yet boen come to with respect to tho new members to bo appointed.

From the onhunl report of the Chief Hemp-grader:— "The thanks of your oHicers aro due to tho Wellington and Auckland Harbour Boards, tho New Zealand Sliipm'ng Company, Messrs. John Mill and to., and the Rnrhvay Department for prompt and valuable assistance to graders in the performance of their duties. Special ipention may bo made of the accommodation and up-to-dato appliances of the Wellington Harbour Board for the j hnmJlinß of the Targe quantities of hemp received into the stores, and tho keen V»r tete * fc mimife ?*«l by the secretary, Mr. W Ferguson, ir tho development of the industry." In consequence of fho circulation of a report calculated to damage the fruit pulp industry, tho Motueka fruitgrowers requested the Agricultural Department to nn "V! ° Xper . b *.? their factor y to "Port nnon the method of pulping raspberries. Mr Lawrence the Agricultural department s chemist, wns nccordingly sent to Motueka to examine the proems, „nd ho has reported thnt there i» nothing injurious in the method adopts for pulping the fruit. The pulp is, „f flist-clus* quality, and he is satisfied that if propel care is exercised it can be made into reolbr fiooi joju,

[For Notices oj Births, Marriagrs and Deaths, see Page i.]