MR. THEO. COOPER'S DEFENCE OF MR. WARD.

Evening Post, Volume LII, Issue 155, 21 November 1896, Page 6

MR. THEO. COOPER'S DEFENCE OF MR. WARD.

1 [BY TELEGRAPH— PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Auckland, 20th November. At the Hon. T. Thompson's meeting last night Mr. Theo. Cooper, counsel for the Bank of New Zealand at the recent Parliamentary enquiry, in proposing the motion of thanks and confidence, said that, as to the Banking enquiry, he himself had been in a position to a certain extent of hostility to the Government, and there was no man better qualified to express an opinion on it than he, and he did so with a full sense of responsibility in making the utterauce. Prom the information and papers he had, and from the researches he had to make as counsel for the Bank of New Zealand, he declared that there was not the slightest ground for the suggestion of any improper conduct on the part of the Government, or any member of the Administration, or any late j member of the Administration, in connection with the Banking legislation. The attacks which were made, and which centred themselves upon one person, the Hon. Mr. "Ward, did not arise out of any desire for the benefit of the country, but solely out of a personal desire to destroy the reputation of Mr. "Ward. If Mr. "Ward was unfortunately in financial embarrassment, and had had to succumb commercially to difficulties he had been .placed in, he i (Mr. Cooper) challenged any person whe had given any careful enquiry to the investigation which took some three months in Wellington— any perrjn wUh an impartial mind— to say that there was the slightest ground for suggesting that Mr. AVard's personal embarrassment had any influence upon him as Colonial Treasurer, or affected in the slightest degree the banking legislation. If there was one thing the colony had to thank the present Government for, it was for coming to the rescue of the Bank of New Zealand and saving desolation throughout the colony.