PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hastings Standard, Issue 56, 1 July 1896, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

IN HOUSE AND COUNCIL. [By Texegkapii.] t ./•*<"(an SjtiTuyJ I "<>rrf*j>"iuh:nt. > "Wellington, this day. The entire sitting ye~t< rday was taken up with the banking qu ->tirn. \lmo-t v on is the order was called on Kiccarion liu 1 anoidmerit, which 1 1 xcn nul' i c u-.idera-tion on Fridav. was rejected bv 30 to 20. Mr Cadinan mou 1 t an amendment to the Preni' i >m< r on: —1 That inquiry should!.; . « to the affairs of the bank instead o! ••portion" of the bank; (2) That the committee should ascertain what amount had been written oil since Ist January. 188.8, and what had led to such writing off; (3) That enquiry ahouil h i i ule into the appointment of tt I' -i and general manager of th 1! Uk of New Zealand, and the connection with the Colonial Bank ; (4) any negotiations which may at any time have taken place between the Colonial Bank and Bank of New Zealand and the Ministry or any member thereof with a view to amalgamation or purchase ; (•>} The purchase of the Colonial Bank by the Bank of New Zealand with special reference to (n) the position of the Colonial Bank at the time of the first proposal for amalgamation or purchase and subsequently ; (A) accuracy or otherwise of representations made to the Bank of New Zealand, Government, or any member thereof with reference to such amalgamation or purchase; (c) the amount paid for goodwill, how it was arrived at, and the correctness or otherwise of the estimate. The parties were fairly evenly divided on the question of going back as far as 1888. That an enquiry was wanted was agreed on all sides, but the entire Opposition and a section of the Ministerialists were determined to have nothing to do with the matter unless the order of reference was limited to what took place immediately prior to the banking legislation of 1890 and subsequent- events. It was this knowledge and to avert being again placed in a " tight corner " that induced the Premier to back down. During the dinner adjournment and before the House again met at 7.30, it was understood that Mr Joyce would be put up on behalf of the Government to move to delete part of clause 2 of v Mr Cadman's amendment. This meant the removal of the most objectionable feature of the report and paved the way for a peaceable solution of the matter. Mr G. -J. Smith moved as a further amendment " That the scope of the Committee be confined to the circumstances leading up to the banking legislation of 1893." After lengthy discussion, Mr Smith's amendment was rejected by a majority of 14. The first clause of Mr Cadman's amendment was carried without division. The report which gained credence during the dinner adjournment that the Government had agreed to abandon paragraph 2 of Mr Cadman's amendment proved to be unfounded, tod when this paragraph, the crucial one in the amendment, was put the- vote was carried by a majority of five ; thereupon all the members of the Opposition except Mr George m Hutchison declined to serve on the '"Sfemmiiitee, and the Government are . : j have it entirely to themselves. Mr Seddon has given notice to move thai the Committee consist of Messrs J. Jtf'JSenzie, Graham, Montgomery, M'Gowan, Tanner, George Hutchison, : Maslin, Guinness, Steward and the mover. Before the House rose the Premier intimated that he intended to introduce the Legislative Council Amendment Bill. This is in consequence of the rejection of the Asiatic Restriction and Contagious Diseases Bills. In the Council yesterday afternoon in th# debate on the Asiatic lkstriction Bill, the principal speakers against it were the Hons. Scotland and Bonar, and the Minister of Education ill reply said that ibis w&i the only colony

which allowed the Chines:: in en such cvy t i 11-. and the colony had a right to pr ><- 11 n-Gf the same as the other i colonic*. Oa a (livi -ion, the Ron. Mr Shrimski's amendment was lost, fifteen members voting for giving the Bill ! six m >nth-> and a like number against, and 1 • Council then divided on the -second reading with the following results : Ayes : Arkwright, Baillio, Bamiceutf, Bolt, Feldwick, Jennings, Jenkinson, Jones, Kenny, Kerr, Montgomery, Reeves. Rigg, Stewart, \\. C. Walker. Noes: Aeland, Bonar.Bowen, Grace, Holmes, Johnson, Pharazyn, Richardson, Scotland, Shrimski, Stevens. Swan son, Tairaroa, Whyte, Williams. The Speaker gave his casting vote against the second reading, and the Bill was consequently killed. Sir Waiter Duller has petitioned both branches of tlvj Legislature for an inquiry into matters connected with the llorowhenua Block. Allegations are made concerning the manner in which Mr Martin, S.M., conducted the recent Royal Commission. The Premier has given notice of the introduction of the Representation Act Amendment Bill. Mr Pirani is introducing a Bill to give 0 el 'ar delmition of the powers of Judges and Magistrates in the matter of contempt of Court, and to restrict the amount of punishment that may be indicted for it. Protests having been raised from several parts of the colony against the present svsiem of school committee elections, under which nominations are taken right up to the moment of election, Mr Graham is introducing a Bill providing for prior nominations, to close exactly a week before the annual meeting of house-holders at which the ballot is held. Mr Buick's Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill, provides that burgesses whose names are 011 the defaulter's list may vote on paying the rates and that the leceipt of the collector shall b< a Mtfticient authority to th e re turn 1;i g old ee r. Mr Piram's Truck Amendment Bill lias received its quietus at the hands of the Labor Bills Committee, v.ho this morning decided to report that n be not proceeded with as t ! won Id endanger the main Bill. The i .ill vidch the Pn nnt is m troducing to amend the L. gi.da.tue Council Act is to make the term of the pr. -nt life app.'intn - 1 rminable in -even years, or. failing that, abolish the Council altogether. The measure is looked on as being- introduced for e1 e c 110 neer in g purpose s. The Pr, mi. r prof ■-ed to be virtuously indignant over the recent action of the Council to a deputation representing the W Social and Political Assoeiatior 1 1 by Mrs Seddon, and said the en tle Council had taken for some r ,... . }a.t with regard to all progressive measures would make one believe that it had determined to rush to its doom. Either the Council must do that which the people demanded or must be struck out of existence altogether. The position was that every year they found with a few exceptions the life members of the Council voted against all progressive measures, while those members having a tenure of seven years voted for progress. Things had come to such a pass between the Council and the House that they must find out which body was to govern, the country. Concluding, Mr Seddon took Speaker Millar to task for the unusual course of giving his casting vote against the second reading of the Asiatic Restriction Bill, thus preventing further discussion.