THE PREMIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13398, 29 January 1907, Page 6

THE PREMIER.

A BUSY DAY IN AUCKLAND.

HONOURED BY MERCANTILE

COMMUNITY.

DEPARTURE FOR ENGLAND.

The Premier (Sir Joseph Ward), who left Auckland for Sydney last evening, en route to attend the imperial Conference in the Old Country, spent, a busy day in Auckland yesterday, in attending to various public matters and transacting the largo amount of Departmental business that required his attention prior to his departure from the colony.

ONE-TREE HILL DOMAIN. Early yesterday morning Sir Joseph Ward visited the One-tree Hill Domain (adjoining Cornwall Park), where he was met bv Messrs. A. Kidd, M.H.R., C. Baglev (chairman of the Domain Board), and J.'Rowe, W. R. Bloomfield, R. Hall (members of the Domain Board), and G. L. Peacocks. The Premier was driven to the top of One-tree Hill, and thus passed over the new portion of the drive, which is being extended to the summit. The members of the Board repeated their application for a Government grant of £100, towards the cost of completing the drive, and pointed out that the present revenue of £120 a year, left a net income of only £40 after the payment to the caretaker. The Premier expressed his delight with the splendid view obtainable from the hill, and promised to place the sum asked for on next session's Estimates. In the meantime, he authorised the Board to go on with the remainder of the work, in order to avoid delay. The members of the Board thanked the Premier for acceding to their request. Upon returning to town, Sir Joseph made a short stay at Mr. Kidd's residence, at Epsom, and was driven through the Auckland Domain, on his way to his quarters I at the Star Hotel.

PARNELL LIBRARY SITE. During the forenoon a deputation from the Parnell Borough Council, consisting of Messrs. C. Wood, R. B. Lusk, and B. Gilmer (town clerk), waited upon the Premier, at the Star Hotel, in support of the request recently made by the Council for a gift of the old post- office site as a site for a public library. Mr. F. Lawry, M.H.R., introduced the deputation. Mr. Wood and Mr. Lawry explained that there was no library reserve at Parnell. and stated that the site asked for would be a great assistance in providing a library for the borough. The Premier said that on being advised by Mr. Lawry of the proposal of the Council, he had had the site withdrawn from sale in order that the matter could be discussed. The fact that there was no library reserve in Parnell would have considerable weight with the Government in coming to a decision on the matter. He would communicate with the Acting-Postmaster-General (the Hon. Dr. Findlay) on the matter, and an answer would probably be received in about a fortnight, after the matter had been considered by the Cabinet.