HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. June 25.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XXIV, Issue 2066, 30 June 1896, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. June 25.

The Wesleyan'Church Truet Atft Amendment BiiT, providing for'tbe amalgamation Of the Weeleyan and Methodist Churches in'New'Zialand, was read a second time, endiino Removal of Women's Diaabiliiies Bill and Trudk Act Amendment Bill, also passed:their second readings. The debate on (he motion for the second reading off MrG. W* Rueeelile Bill providing for the periodical TrfVflluaiion of land bold under the le»ee-in-perpetuity eyst&co occupied the whole of the evening sitting. An amondunent thtt the Bill ebould be reed that day (is riiontbe wea carried by 31 tj 17, tbe bill beingthus thrown out. ; • June 26.

■Replying to Mr Tar.neT, Mr Hall-Jones said thai -the Govern* ruent Hid contemplate come amendment in the Public Words Act. with a view of averting friction between looal bodies on the maintenance of boundary roads. .

Replying to Mr Collins, whether i'l, aoOßi(iering-tl)6 impossibility of passing lite Local 'Goverinnetft Bill tbie Beesion, be would introduce a short Bill enacting'that aft future Municipal elections shall be conducted .on the basis of household suffrage, N , ' .

Mr J, Saddon said that he hoped the House would consider the Local Governir.ent Billtbiß sbssion, and if the Oovornmeot wero enabled to pas?, that Bill vision ought feo be made whereby theaest

eteiVnns ehould'lake pldc? on ~BP enlarged franchiße. * Dißcuapion took place on' tie subj'c'e of the vacafit'JudgeHJiip end I lie sinking ? lunds of lofcal bodies I 'Kin". • " ■ ■■' • The>Hm, R. J SecMon moved—;»'Tba' ' a select com mi te of v ten 'members , he: "appointed to examine end.report upon -the*following matter* : —fl) The position 1 of the Bonk of -New 'Z'&lind Elates ' "Compary (Limited), Auckland Agrlcul-i tural Company (Limited), and the'VolqA- ' niaJ Bank of'iNew'^Zialftnd,-bo'th prifrand " snhspqnent to the banking legislation' of 1893, 1i&94 nnd 1895, with Special , refer ; enee to air ciroomsfances'leading up td that legielafi)n,"t'ie follneßa and aiicriracy of the inform fon" then "'disclosed by tb« directors offioprs and pofeona. a-tt'irhed to thoße imt tiit'one, and ibe capacity "and '•fi'nefis ot those' peipona. direelors and officers; (2) to aecertiio wh»t antiodnfe ' have beeu written off arid Whit , led to lha same, and to deal with all such other 1 matters as the comuri't-ie nfcosnary ' or espedietit in the prettisee; the oouimitfee be not empowered to \n* 'quire into ; the ordinary business of persons or companies doing business With the r ßank of New Zealand, excepting co far -3B to writing off arjd what'led to eucb. The debate on this motion occupied the f rest of tbe silting. Oiir member, Mr Montgomery, pfei ' nearly all t-he members were agreed that there ehonld be eoroe enqrtiry. For hie own p"irt he had no dbult, as"they had ' hithterto legislated with very litt'e know- ' ledge of what they were doing; as to tribunal, they should agree on. He Lad v at one time favoured a Eoyal Commission but aftsr considering all ' the circum- ' stances he iho.ugbt it would not bs to. the mtereet? of the people concerned, and 'therefore a Parliamohtary Committee was tha best. It should, however, "be'free ' frona p3"rty bias, and he agreed with Sir Robert Stout that no meniber of the ' Government should be on it. Hβ felt, however, that withoutsome member ofthe Miniatry being on the' Committee tbe in- ' qniry might he abortive. But he* thought there Bhotjld' be only one'member of the Ministry on it, and the members of the ' Commiitae Bhould be chosen by the House. 'If they were going to make en enquiry iato the Bank's eifaira ; t'ley should tflko care ; that privet' names and private accounts-should not be disclosed, except where absolutely iißcessary.