BEFORE THE BAR

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 May 1931, Page 10

BEFORE THE BAR

A NEW ZEALAND EPISODE. The appearance of Sir Robert Gibson, chairman of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, at the Bai- of the Federal Parliament is likely to find its place in the future history of Australia. Such events are so rare as to be well worthy of chronicling. Seldom, if ever, are bankers summoned to appear before so august a body as a Parliament, but New Zealand can furnish an instance, and, moreover, the banker in this case was pretty severely dealt with. It was in the year 1895 that the then president of the Bank of New Zealand, Mr William Watson (who by the way is chairman of the bank to-day) was commanded to appear at the Bar. Two Committees had been set up, one from the Upper House and one from the Lower xiouse of Parliament, and they were required to investigate the affairs of the bank. Mr Watson was called to give evidence, and he was for nineteen days under examination in the Lower House and for two days in the Upper Chamber. Recalling the incident in a conversation with a representative of “The Post,” Mr Watson remarked of the committees: “And they were a pretty mixed lot, too. They showed themselves, and that plainly, to be deter mined to find fault with the old Auckland'directors of the bank, and with some other persons. They persisted in asking me to give particulars of the accounts of these people, and what overdrafts they had, and I just as persistent in my refusal to‘ furnish them with such information. I steadfastly declined to disclose anything of the nature they were so anxious to elicit from me.

“Mr Theo. Cooper, who subsequently became a Judge of the Supreme Court, was with me before the committees as my lawyer. He pointed out that my silence on the very matters which the committee was eager that I should disclose was not to be attributed to contumacy or disrespect. He explained, as I had already told the committees, that for me to disclose anything of the nature they were so keen to know would violate the declaration that every bank officer is required to. make, not to disclose any of the bank’s business. I had, too, my . own reputation as a banker to guard and sustain. “Then I was haled before the Bar of the'House. Mr Cooper made there his speech on my behalf, emphasising my pledge to secrecy as to the bank’s affairs and my determination to do no violence to my principles as a banker. “They asked me a lot of questions at the Bar—some of them very silly questions; but I endeavoured to answer them to the best of my ability. But some of those questions I would not answer for reasons I had already given. “I was condemned, and was then handed over to the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms as a first-class' misdemeanant, and was taken to a room to await the decision of the House. The Sergeant-at-Arms was Captain Fraser, a personal friend of mine, and distasteful as his duty of arresting me and guarding me, his friend, may have been, he discharged it faithfully and with dignity. For a moment he left the room and I seized the opportunity of doging behind a sofa, so that when he returned he found the room empty as he thought, and his bird flown. I could see his look of consternation and can recall it now, but he could not see me until I came out of my hiding place, much to his relief. “When I was taken into custody, I was informed that I was to be furnished with anything I required. As I drank a little whisky in those days, I asked the Sergeant to get me some, which he did. I also ordered some cigars, and he had them brought to me. Having tasted the whisky I said: ‘This is not good whisky. Bring me some better than this!’ and he tried to get it. But I think he was greatly relieved when he was requested to bring his prisoner before the Bar again. “There I was conducted and there I was found guilty of contempt of Parliament and was solemnly fined £5OO. I paid the fine and got a receipt for it —at least the bank paid it. But where the money went to I never found one, nor did two members of the Cabinet, so they told me afterwards. “I was then so frightened by the politicians and by the awful solemnity of the proceedings that, except on one occasion, I have never plucked up enough courage to enter the House of Parliament since I was brought to its Bar and there condemned, now some thirty-six years ago.”