THE POLITICAL SITUATION

Otago Witness, Issue 2727, 20 June 1906, Page 33

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

MR HALL-JONES SENT FOR. (Fbom Oub Own Cobbespondent.)

WELLINGTON, June 12.

This afternoon his Excellency the Governor, in accordance, with the constitutional position, sent for the Acting-Premier, the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, and the two were in conference for some time at Government House. . On being interviewed, rfc Hon. W. HallJones; Acting-Premier, said that the existing arrangement of portfolios would con-tinue-for the present, and that there was not likely to be any alteration between now and the- meeting of Parliament. He pays a glowing tribute to his late chief, whose .great; breadth of mind and whose beauty of morals embraced every consideration, from the uplifting and betterment of humanity to the building and strengthening of the Empire. HOKITIKA, June 12. There is a steadily growing feeling throughout the electorate that when the time comes to fill the vacancy Mr Seddon's eldest son (Captain Seddon) should be asked to take tte position, and so retain the honoured name of Seddon in the House of Representatives.

MR HALL-JONES AS PREMIER. Faou Our Omt Cqbbjcsponbemt.)

WELLINGTON, June 13. The Hon. W. Hall-Jones has handed the following communication to the press representatives for publication: — The constitutional position has been carefully considered, and there is no doubt as to the course which should be followed. A Prime Minister must be appointed, and must meet Parliament. His Excellency has done me the honour to request me to take the position, end, in the circumstances,. I considered it my duty to accept his Excellency's comtjoand. Though quite unfettered as to my action, I have informed his Excellency , as to the course which I feel myself in honour bound to follow. The position is that Sir Joseph Ward, who in the ordinary course would have been sent for, is out of tho colony, and in his absence thore must be a. Premier. I believe that the people of New Zealand have confidence in my desire and resolve to do that which is in accordance with their wishes and the dictates of my own honour. Wu. Hall-Jones.

SKETCH OF THE PREMIER'S CAREER. U?eom Oub Own Cgbbuspondekt.)

WELLINGTON, June 13.

Events in connection with the political situation caused as the result of Mr Seddon' s death are turning out exactly as I forecasted in ray original telegram, and Mr Hall-Jones is now announced as # the new Premier of the colony, who will in a few days succeed Mr Seddon. His Excellency the Governor, of course, has left him quite unfettered in the matter of forming a Ministry, and if Mr Hall- Jones thought fit he could maintain the Premiership until defeated in the House or the country. It is understood, however, that he will only hold the reins of power until Sir Joseph Ward's arrival, when he will resign, and Sir Joseph Ward will reconstruct tho Cabinet.

Mr Ha)l-Jones, who is to be our new Premier, is, as ho himself delights to tell you, " a man of Kent." Though of somewhat delicate physique, he is wiry, and a man of considerable grit and determination. He was born at Folkestone, and came out to the colony as a young man. For peyeral years he worked as a carpenter in Timaru, where he was respected as a reliable and honourable tradesman. He became a member of the Borough Council and also of a local Road Board, the Levels, and when Mr Turnbull, the sitting member for the district, died in 1890, Mr Hall-Jones contested the seat as an opponent of the Atkinson Government and was returned to Parliament. That Parliament, however, was in its death throes, and Mr Hall-Jones, after a few weeks' membership, had to contest the seat again at a general election. He was again successful. Meantime he had made friends with John Ballance, John M'Kenzie, and other members of the Liberal party, and as the. Atkinson Government was routed and the new party took office, Mr HallJones was appointed one of the Whips. The other Liberal Whip was Mr Perceval, subsequently Agent-general and now Sir Westby Perceval. Those were stirring times, and the modern representatives of the people were beginning to get new ideas into their heads. Mr Hall-Jones had ideas of his own, and he fell out with the party, resigned his Whipship, and assumed an independent position. I remember hearing several of his speeches, in which he very severely condemned the Government under which he acted as Whip. Eventually, as often happens in politics, he earned the reward of his criticism and outspokenness, for. early in 1896, when Mr Reeves and Sir P. Buckley resigned, Mr Hall-Jones was taken into the Cabinet as Minister of Public Works. Mr Hall-Jones was not at first a success As a Minister, and he had to submit to a great deal of acute and satirical criticism as to hi 6 change of front and his inconsistency in accepting a. portfolio in the very Ministry he had been so vigorously condemning. He was also greatly handitapped by a lack of departmental knowledge ; but he set himself to grapple with details, and by steady plodding and untiring industry he gradually overcame most of his difficulties. On the who'e, according to the lights of tho present Administration, he has proved himself a capable Minister;

' and, considering that he had always towering over him the masterful Mr Seddon, even his political opponents will probably admit that he has done fairly well. But on occasions he was prepared even to stand up against Mr Seddon, and in official circles here it is well known that he did so to some purpose in connection with the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to Wellington. Ho had undertaken certain arrangements in his capacity as Minister of Pubho Works, and Mr Seddon "off his own bat" interfered. Mr Hall- Jones, however, stood firm, and 6aid the work would have to be done by instructions from him or not at all, and I believe he carried his point. Anyhow, I know from men engaged in the work that for a time matters were very sultry. There was also some trouble about giving up his rooms at the Hotel Cccil — where he had been staying for sometime — to a member in the ducal entourage. I believe the rooms had been assigned to Sir James Anderson, of the Colonial Office, but Mr Hall-Jones refused to budge. It was stated at tho time that he was so displeased with Mr Seddon's interferences that he handed in his resignation and posted off to Rotorua. Whether this is so or not I am unable definitely to say, but it was common talk at the time. However, if Mr Hall-Jones did send in his resignation it was not accepted, and matters were subsequently smoothed over. The independence that he then showed appeared to decidedly increase his strength in the Cabinet. MiHall- Jones shows to best advantage as an administrator of his main d&partment. As a, speaker ho is not a success m Parliament, and it is often a great strain on the Press Gallery, owing to the indistinctness of his utterance, to catch what he says. On occasions, however, he makes an excellent speech on matters with which he is au fait. He is least successful when he assumes the role of humourist. On the whole, there can be no gainsaying the fact that he has improved as a Minister out of all knowledge since his first term of office, and that next to Sir Joseph Ward he is now the ablest and strongest man in the Ministry.