THE NEWS IN WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13201, 12 June 1906, Page 5

THE NEWS IN WELLINGTON.

j ■ - """"■""" ■ ■■.'.■■ Ju-M j PROFOUND KEGRET ; 'AND SURj PRISE. ' ■ "V; I ' MEETING OF THE • CABINET. ' I [lit irELKGij.vftr.--~if:r >s assooatios",] 1 Welmxctox, Monday. ..• I From eveiy part of the colony .(telegraph .; 1 messages are feei.Bj received, expressing; pro--1 found., grief at the sudden, death of the .- :'i, 1 Pught Bon. It. J. Seddon. The first jjii I mation received by the Press Association 1 caused a shock, :md a.. little later the hsfoi-, I mat ion was confirmed by a cypher, message _ 1 to the Government, ■ received about twenty J minutes to one -o'clock*. blatiag that. Mr,. jßeddoii Lad-died at tv.e»ty-three minutes : I past six o'clock last night, just ; aboid: : i| u Sfei I hours' after the boa* sailed • from- Sydney, ■': !" six o'clock last- night, just about 15 ■ ' hours' after the- boat sailed from Sydney,, amidst the handshakes, farewells, and gsod ' jv, idics of an admiring crowd. The infor- ] nuiiun to hand is ink; 'or some .hours prior . ■.: ts the departure of tke%tssel Mr. Scddwi was beginning to if el the Hidiwoi the lass ,;\;® two -weeks, and was aot'iit the best* of • *- health. ■'.';' When the-sad ' ;" us need t« be true, il*-amss prolans.! " "T i**giefc iii'd s\;rpiise*.gs'er'yereiy\viiere'ij!tvc , ■ , j I'd -ace. _ • f As -'.win as the Acting-Premier wasaaado , " .a wares »ji ' the- news a lnc: i of tLfi.C«.l?i«itl' ,„ J wa, hastily summoned foirl wo oYlM;. ,Cj plain Seddoa -was-In ifclniLaiwiiv o*ll era y"* I when the first cablegram was leeeb'ei.' ''In ; 0 I® was summoned tjt ate? Jlon.-W. Had Joaer' "'^ ; ofjhx-j aud-ihrre uuule «,wvjwj r s;£*». L.«t Jti'^' ' v happened. . . ■' '.-I: I'■ Only-oft'Saturday aught. Lsf-'-ihe editor/ 1 of the Evening' , I'i st■avjecit/ed following I;.cablegram ham Mr. S'dduu:«—'l haio f Ictnnnleifd & lunpioul preferential *giw« v \ j iii" v, iit-I l 5 C«"i''i'-if iiwealtlf. [ firmly j, I behave it will beupfi';. tire coiUrai riotr par- , ' 1 ties. TL.9 question is be,: t wbh great ddiiScully. I have daae my best, Cannot ; tend' ].j)iut; ui in -cat. Leaving to-night tor l.:iicklaiiJ. .Kifc-ora.." ' ''' *',""', I Though the-'bict. ».a- no' geivrr.lly known, , I th& health -of the Premier dui'.ti.; I the l»tf \ ''J>' t;l2;moiiiiio or moic—tu^isr-ta^^aurta;;

'the time "that "has elapsed ; since :he .was supposed to recover, from the severe illness that attacked him in 1903—haw been such as to cause his family and intimate friends alarm. Some of the sea trips ' suddenly undertaken have been dictated as touch or more for health reasons than for political policy. There was an impression that the chief trouble was a, cerebral one, but au Evening Post reporter learned from an intimate relative of the Premier that Mr. Sedden has suffered frtm a. heart affection for the past two or three, years. He was warded on occasion of his previous visit to Melbourne that he would have to be very careful in his movements, and not even attempt to go up a staircase. Yet lie lias been leading a!strenuous life ever since that time. Mr. Seddon appeared to bo > very much «lder man than he actually was, for hei would have been only 61 rear* of age out the 22i»d hist. , I

. A committee of Wellington" friends and supporters bud arranged to give him a monster birthday party ill the Town Hall on the 22Hd. and a handsome casket was to Slav* been presented to him as a souvenir of the occasion. He had been 40 years in «he colony.

The Hen. Hall-Jones. Acting-Premier, is ha communication with Sir Joseph Ward, who is expected to return to the colony by the first steamer.

' Business in the city was practically suspended to-day out of respect to the memory of the Premier.

. The following extraordinary Gazette was published to-day:—"it is with deep regret I have to announce the death of the Right' Honourable Richard John Seddon, P.C., Prime Minister, of New Zealand, on beard *-!:« s.s. 'Oswstry C'av.jre at sea on the evening of Sunday, Hie 10tn day oi «lu.r\ at twenty-three minutes past six o'clock, '.'..•' hrur". after leaving Syd' "■ *'-■?■ New >;<■■ .Uvd. Officer- of the Gove i.me'( rerVic*' Ih.onghout ihe colony are relieved from duty for to-day and to-morrow, and' only urgent public business -will be transacted until the day of the funeral, when the whole of the public-offices throughout the colony will lie closed.—(Signed) W«. HallJones."