MR SEDDON’S TOUR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11366, 6 September 1897, Page 6

MR SEDDON’S TOUR.

VISITS AND SPEECHES. FFbobi our Correspondent.] LONDON, July 23. After several fruitless journeys to the Hotel Cecil in the course of Wednesday and Thursday, I managed to get a few minutes’ conversation with Mr Seddon last evening. The Premier was extremely busy with preparations for his departure, and several gentlemen, with more or less important missions on hand, were waiting his pleasure, so my time was strictly limited. In answer to a query as to his movements since I saw him last, Mr Seddon rapidly narrated the incidents of his final tour in the Old Country with his wife and daughters. Leaving Loudon on Tuesday last week, the party proceeded to York, where they were entertained by the Lord Mayor, and duly shown'the “lions” of ancient Eboracum and neighbourhood. On ■ the following day they proceeded to New-castle-on-Tyne, the Mayor and several of the leading citizens meeting the Premier’s party at the station. Having sampled the hospitality of the good people of Newcastle, and viewed the sights of the town, the Premier and his entourage proceeded by the night mail to Scotland, their destination being Annan, or rather the neighbouring hamlet of Ecclefechan, the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle and of Mr Seddon’s mother, whose family has been associated with the place for centuries. After a couple of happy days in the neighbourhood of Annan, Mr Seddon took his party over to Belfast. During the brief stay in the heart of Ireland’s commercial life the Premier and his wife and daughters lunched with the Lady Mayoress, inspected the famous works of the Belfast Linen Company and equally celebrated rope works. At the latter place Mr Seddon had the pleasure of seeing New Zealand hemp and flax spun into ropes of various thickness, from the ordinary clothes-line gauge to cables of from four to six and eight inches in diameter. From Belfast the party proceeded to Dublin, breaking their journey at Dundalk, where they were; Very hospitably, entertained by relatives of. the Rev Dr Waters, of Wellington; Catholic College. In Dublin Mr Seddon' and his family were the guests of the Royal Society, the Council of which entertained them at lunch and enabled them to see the sights of the town rapidly and .effectually. The Bank of Ireland, the Zoological Gardens, College Green and Trinity College were included in the round, and of course the visitors were driven through Phcenix Park. They were also shown the site where Donnybrook Fair used to be held. The Premier also paid a visit to the great distillery of Sir John Power and Sons, and the friends of temperance in the colony will be shocked to hear that ho did not resist the temptation of his guide to sample the contents of one of the 11,000 casks of whisky stored in the firm’s cellars. The evening was spent at the house of Mr J. Talbot Powers, at Leopardstown, and next day Mr Seddon crossed to Liverpool and went thence to St Helens to spend a few hours with his old foreman, Mr Mailings. Mr Seddon enjoyed his brief trip in Ireland immensely and confesses that though the hospitality of the English, Welsh and Scotch people to him during his stay at Home was almost too great to endure, it was almost exceeded by the royal treatment he met with in the sister isle.

On Tuesday Mr Seddon paid a flying visit to Wigan to meet some of his friends of six-and-thirty years ago, and the occasion was taken advantage of by the Mayor (Alderman E. Richards) and members of the County Borough Council to extend to their distinguished guest a cordial welcome. Mr Seddon was met by Mr J. Wood, J.P., Mr G. L. Campbell, J.P., and others, and was escorted to the Borough Courts and shown through the library, Ac. Afterwards, accompanied by some prominent Wigan gentlemen, the Premier drove through Haigh Park, belonging to the Earl of Crawford, and visited several manufacturing works. The party was also entertained at luncheon in the old Council Chamber, and the health of Mr Seddon was proposed by the Mayor. The Premier, in responding, assured those present that the residents of New' Zealand had always the greatest love and affection for the Mother Country. The New Zealanders were proud to be iu a position to say that they belonged to this, tbe oldest, the brightest, the most glorious nation upon the face of God’s earth to-day. All the world would see during the Jubilee rejoicings that we were a powerful combination, and whilst they rejoiced in the joy and sorrowed iu the sorrow of the Mother Country, the colonists would ever be ready to defend her in that which was right. Whilst imbued with the utmost loyalty, he must add that oftentimes in the colonies the actions of the rulers of the country were looked upon as being hesitating in character. Everything should be done to bring the Mother Country into closer touch, and to give greater confidence to the colonies. Speaking with reference to trade, he said the British manufactures did not advance in proportion to the growth of the population. In New Zealand they w'ere consumers of products which for many years to come they could not expect to manufacture, and, as was natural, they desired that their kith and kin should reap the advantage thereof. But what gave him considerable anxiety was that the trade of foreign nations was steadily increasing whilst that of the Mother Country, relatively speaking, was not expanding. It seemed that so long as the English manufacturers and mills were running steadily no thought was taken for the future. No expansion of trade had taken place as it might have done, and now there was talk of finding room for what was termed the surplus population, those for whom employment could not be found elsewhere. Every means ought to be exhausted before we saw our mother country turned into a breeding ground for supplying populations to other countries, even though it was to our own colonies. The mother country, he wished to point out, was not getting what it deserved or was entitled to. Within the last five years trade with America had doubled itself. The foreign manufacturers were alive to future development; they had their agents in the colonies, and instead of being content with steady employment they were looking forward in a manner that [must eventually cause great anxiety to the cotton manufacturers of Lancashire. In his opinion it was well worth the while of the Lancashire manufacturers to sand out agents to the colonies to show the class of products they could turn out, and by that means counteract foreign competition, and increase both the prosperity of the mother country and the colonies. Before proceeding to Wigan Mr Seddon was waited upon at Mr Mailings’ house by Mr H. R. Lacey, the chairman of the St Helens Library Committee, who presented the Premier with a handsomely bound copy of the free library catalogue, a handsome volume, bearing a splendid view of the Gamble Institute, and the following inscription in gold letters on silk“ County borough of St Helens. Presented by the Free Public Library Committee to the Right Honourable R. L Seddon, Premier of New Zealand, as a memento of his visit to St Helens, his native place, upon the occasion of his return to England after an absence of thirty-three years to represent his country on the occasion of the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria.—June, 1897.” Mr Seddon arrived back in London on Tuesday night, and since then has been busily engaged with preparations for his return to the colony. The accumulation or correspondence whilst he was on tour had not'been entirely cleared off last night, and every post brings fresh material for him to work upon. And every hour of the day brings its batch of callers many of whom miist be seen, if only for a few . losterday morning Mr Seddon repaired,

to the docks to see the New Zealand contingent off, and on his way> home to the Cecil stopped for awhile in the City to talk over freights with the managers of the shipping companies. He informed mo that ho looks forward to still further concessions from the shipowners in the matter of freights upon produce. Another matter upon which Hr Seddon has been engaged during the last few days concerns the increase of the cable facilities of the colony, but at present he is unable to give any definite information as to the line of action he has taken on this point. To-day the Premier is occupying his leisure moments by paying official and social valedictory calls, a duty which will also find him employment to-morrow. On Sunday morning he starts with his wife and daughters for Paris, and contemplates a brief continental tour before joining the Oroya at Naples on August 2. Mr Seddon has undoubtedly enjoyed his stay in the Old Country immensely, so have the ladies of his party.