DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

Southland Times, Issue 17679, 17 June 1914, Page 6

DISTINGUISHED VISITOR

SIR HARTMANN JUST, K.C.B,

INTERESTING INTERVIEW. Amongst the passengers who arrived at Bluff yesterday morning by the s.s. Maitai was Sir Hartmann Just, K.C.8., Assistant Secretary of the Colonial Office, London, and secretary’ of the Imperial Conferences. On arrival Sir Hartmann was welcomed by Mr J. Hislop, secretary for the Department of Internal Affairs, who will conduct Sir Hartmann throughout his New Zealand tour. Sir Hartmann is a man of under medium height, with slight stoop, grey and spectacled, yet alert and carrying his years well, and the happy possessor of a keen sense of humour. Interviewed by a Times representative on arrival. Sir Hartmann said that lie was purely on a holiday visit although anxious to make himself acquainted with all the clvaracteristicaliy progressive phases of life and industry in New Zealand. Ho was also much interested in national matters as in ills official capacity he was closely identified with relations of the selfgoverning colonies to the Old Country. No doubt lie would have some difficulty in seeing as much as he wished because lie was due to leave Auckland on his return on July 3, his trip being limited to six months altogether. “What is your itinerary? Sir Hartmann replied that he would visit Lake Wakatipu first, going there this morning and ho expected to arrive at Dunedin on Friday evening. He would then visit Christchurch, Wellington, Rotorua, and Auckland in rotation. As to what he was to see and when, he was entirely in the hands of Mr Hislop, who would guide his destinies for him. He wanted to see all that he could in the limited time at his disposal. He would eschew politics in their entirety and wished it clearly understood that, although interested in all branches of Government affairs and wished to make himself acquainted witli all matters under Government control and progressive forms of development, he had no interest in politics in the general sense of the word. He was very much impressed with the vast ness of Australia's resources and intensely interested in all that lie saw there. He visited all tiie States, commencing at Adelaide — very pleased indeed. He A'isited Tasmania last and was delighted with it. considering it the most picturesque part of Australia, a great deal of beauty and industry being crowded into a small space. He understood that New Zealand was thriving on similar lines. He “did" Australia* in twenty-eight days and his visit there made him quite keen to draw comparison with New Zealand. “What do you think of the Home Rule situation and suffragette movements?” Sir Hartmann declined to be drawn. “These subjects are as delicate as your muttonhirds and oysters. No, I must decline to express any views upon those subjects. It would never do.” Continuing, he said that his trip across had been a little “rocky” but nothing to what he bad been led to expect. A visitor was often told exaggerated stories of what to expect on the trip across and it was so in his case. ■ The British Commissioners on their .recent visit had a rough time on their trip across and so the reputation of the Mel-bourne-Bluff passage had been reported to him as bad, but he had been agreeably surprised. He returns to England via Canada and he hoped that his sailing experiences from New Zealand would be as agreeable as his trip to New Zealand.